But what we do know is that the Patriots stand at a very pedestrian 3-3. Going into today, they were statistically stronger in the running game than the passing game. Their three losses have been by a combined four points, which is a relatively encouraging sign until you look deeper into how these losses have occurred.
The 2012 New England Patriots are facing a full-blown identity crisis.
As fans of the Patriots, we want to believe Bill Belichick has a plan. We want to believe that Tom Brady simply had an off game, and that "Tom Terrific" will still be there when it counts in the 4th quarter. But it's becoming increasingly apparent that the Patriots are just as confused in late-game situations as we are watching them.
In their second loss of the season against the Ravens, New England led by 9 points as late as the 4th quarter. Today, they led by 13 points. They also took a lead into the 4th quarter of last year's Super Bowl, which I'm sure you all remember. 4th quarter collapses are becoming an all too apparent trend in New England.
Today's loss was a microcosm of New England's season. For long stretches, there was brilliance. The Patriots flew out of the gate, doing their best to quiet the renowned Seattle crowd. But it seemed like the second half was altogether different story. For whatever reason, New England looked completely out of sorts. While some people will look to the defense coming up short, I firmly believe the loss was at the hands of both Tom Brady and Josh McDaniels.
Look no further than the horrendous flow of offense in the 2nd half of today's game. For what seems like the first time in years, Brady led back to back drives in the 3rd quarter which ended in interceptions. The first, a terrible read on a deep ball to Deion Branch (I know, seriously) left a Richard Sherman-led Seahawks defense re-energized.
We could spend hours dissecting individual plays from today's game, but I'd rather let Belichick and co. do that on Tuesday. What I'd rather focus on is one possession in particular, late in the 4th quarter.
The Patriots, coming off a strong defensive showing which forced an immediate Seattle three-and-out, took control with 3:02 left. By now, Brady and co. were sufficiently rattled, with their high-octane offensive approach coming to a grinding halt. But as great teams are often forced to do, the bread and butter of the New England Patriots was asked to close out a game in enemy territory. Seattle had three timeouts and the two minute warning, forcing New England to chew up yardage and run out the clock.
Instead, New England called two straight stretch plays against a run-heavy Seattle front seven, allowing the top rated run defense in the league to make two quick stops. A poorly thrown ball from Tom Brady to a well-covered Deion Branch on third down resulted in a punt, and New England gave the ball back. 14 seconds later, Seattle had the ball back.
These kind of head scratching play call selections coupled with poor executions have popped up during far too many stretches this season. When asked to close out games, great teams do so in their first try. So far in 2012, New England has failed almost every test. Baltimore and now Seattle have resulted in devastating losses while New England also struggled to close out Peyton Manning and the Denver Broncos.
Is the season over because the Patriots are a .500 team 6 games in to a long season? Of course not. Should we be concerned that they have successfully made inferior quarterbacks like Russell Wilson and Kevin Kolb look like first-ballot hall of famers? Certainly.
As of tonight, there are glaring problems in New England which extend far beyond a struggling secondary and an injury plagued offense. With the hated New York Jets coming to Foxboro and concerns growing, it's finally time for the Patriots to exude some mental toughness. If you want to be considered an elite NFL team, you have to play like it.
Unfortunately, New England is playing like a team that's scared. A team that operates like a machine during the early stages of a game, but cowers in fear when the crowd noise grows and the pressure rises. This is a stigma which has surrounded the Patriots for the last few seasons, and unless both the coaches and players show more awareness late in games, it will continue to grow.
Any questions or comments? Feel free to leave them here or tweet them to me at twitter.com/Mark_Chiarelli
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