The New England Patriots could be staring down an 0-4 start in the 2023 season

The New England Patriots' first handful of games are very brutal. Could they be staring down an 0-4 start to the 2023 NFL season? To open up the 2023 season, the Patriots fell to the Philadelphia Eagles, but there does appear to be a lot of positive to take from this game. Many have cited a few moral victories from this matchup, but there is one problem with moral victories.

Moral victories don't count in the W column on their record, and the team's schedule is only getting tougher. I don't want to act like the sky is falling already, but is it firmly possible that the team is already staring down an 0-4 start to the regular season? Starting 0-4 would already likely put a dagger in the team's chances at making the postseason.

There's be a virtually 0% chance the team would make the playoffs if they did start 0-4. Well, in Week 2, they play host to the Miami Dolphins, a team that put up nearly 40 points in Week 1. Tua Tagovailoa threw for almost 500 yards and Tyreek Hill had 215 yards and two scores. The high-flying Dolphins' offense with Tua, Tyreek Hill, and Jaylen Waddle, is a huge beast to try to deal with.

I am just not sure the Patriots will have enough on offense to keep up with the Dolphins, and I don't think the Pats losing in Week 2 is out of the question. In Week 3, they travel to MetLife to face the New York Jets, who will now be without Aaron Rodgers for the rest of the season after a torn Achilles in Week 1.

That is going to be a huge break for the Patriots, and yes they did sweep the Jets last year. I do think the Pats' defense would feast against Zach Wilson, so I think that game could end up being a coinflip, but maybe the Jets have a QB solution up their sleeves in someone who could simply manage the game for the team.

However, being that the Patriots face the Jets in Week 3, I don't think there is any way that Zach Wilson isn't starting unless he also gets hurt. In Week 4, the Patriots travel to Dallas to face the Cowboys, and this could be a very tough matchup. The Cowboys took down the New York Giants in Week 1, and shut them out, 40-0. The Cowboys' defense is just unfair, and if Dak Prescott is on his game, the Cowboys offense can be very hard to stop as well.

Their schedule lightens up a bit in Weeks 5 and 6 as they play the New Orleans Saints and Las Vegas Raiders. However, I don't think starting 0-4 would be out of the question, and I think the Pats would have to consider throwing in the towel on the 2023 NFL season if that would end up being the case.