Week 15 in Review

Seeing as there are only 3 weeks until the playoffs begin, this is the perfect time to discuss where the Patriots have been and how things look for the playoffs. After winning their three preseason games, things got off to a bumpy start. The Patriots lost three out of their first four games.

While starting off the season with these losses, upon a closer examination these losses are not as bad as they might appear to be. In the first game of the season, they played the Miami Dolphins and they lost by a single point. To begin, this was Mac Jones' first game and start in the NFL. After the 2020 football season, everyone was ready for a much-needed change.

In 2020 the Patriots had a sad record of 7 wins and 9 losses. This is the worst record that they have had since 2000 when they went 5-11. Last year the Patriots were third in the AFC East, making it the first year since 2009 that they were not the first team in the AFC East. With this in mind, almost anything would have been better than last year's season.

So when the Patriots lost by a single point to the Dolphins, while disappointing, things were looking up from last season. In his first game, being able to keep things so close and having the potential to have won this game was quite incredible. In their second game, they beat the Jets in a great victory. Not only did Jones prove that he had the ability to win games on the big stage, but also showed that he was a great choice for a quarterback by beating Zac Wilson, who was the second pick in the first round of the draft. The Patriots went on to lose the next two games.

However, in their fourth game which was against the Buccanneers, Mac Jones really proved himself. Playing against Brady was a big moment for Jones as well as for the whole organization. Jones was able to keep things tight against the GOAT himself, and the defense finally jelled and the rhythm of the team was coming together with their new rookie quarterback. The Patriots lost by a single field goal. While the loss was sad it was a milestone in their season.

The Pats went on to win seven straight games. Throughout this wonderful win streak, the Patriots were so fun and entertaining to watch, something that I certainly never said when Cam Newton was the quarterback of the Pats. Not only was this winning streak great to watch, but it also meant that this season's record was already significantly better than last season.

Unfortunately, this winning streak came to an end this past Saturday when the Patriots played the Colts. This was the first game in the rookie's professional career in which they had not scored in the first half. This is the real test for a rookie quarterback, are they able to maintain composure and play when they are down? It is significantly more difficult to try and play or even win a game when you have not scored a single point in the first half. But the Patriots stepped up to the challenge as they so often have done in the past. Throughout the entire second half, the Patriots controlled the game. The defense came in clutch making the big plays and held the Colts to a single field goal in the third quarter. The fourth quarter is when the Patriot's offense and Mac Jones really came alive. In the fourth quarter, Jones led the offense to an impressive 17 points. All of this was done without the great Damien Harris, a key running back for the Patriots' offense. It is also important to note that most of the Colts' points were scored as a result of mistakes by the Pats. The Pats had significantly more total yards as well as passing yards. Although they still ended up losing, the fact that Jones and the team kept it together and continued to fight when things did not look good is quite impressive. Jones proved once again that he does not give up no matter how things look. Perseverance is such an important characteristic to have and it is great to see that he already has it at the beginning of his career.

Now, what does all of this mean for a potential Patriots playoff run? As things currently stand the Pats are number one in the AFC East and second in the AFC behind the Kansas City Chiefs. The Pats are in a great position for the playoffs. The team is in sync and well-coordinated and if they smooth out the few mistakes that they made against the Colts, things will be great for the postseason.

Closing in on the Postseason - Google Images