It’s been a tale of two halves for the Patriots this season.
New England was looking like an unstoppable force through its first eight games, but the reigning Super Bowl champions since have come back down to Earth. The Patriots have lost three of their last six games, and concerns over the team’s offense seem to grow by the day.
While the football world has been made to look foolish time and time again by counting out Tom Brady and Bill Belichick, New England’s recent struggles are just too grand for Colin Cowherd to ignore. “The Herd” host seems to believe the Patriots have been exposed as what they truly are: a pretender rather than a legitimate Super Bowl contender.
“I think it’s closed,” Cowherd said of New England’s Super Bowl LIV window Monday on FS1. “They’re 0-3 against division leaders in the AFC. They couldn’t beat the Texans, they couldn’t beat the Ravens and they couldn’t beat the Chiefs. Julian Edelman’s their go-to offensive weapon and he’s all banged up. They’ve scored 22 points or less in five of their last six games, so it’s not getting better. They’re not getting healthier. They didn’t address the tight end position the last two drafts. There’s a price to pay for that. Again, after an 8-0 start, they’re a 3-3 football team with an offense that is regressing.”
Can Tom Brady and the New England Patriots get back to the Super Bowl?
Will Russell Wilson continue his magic in the post season?@ColinCowherd and @JoyTaylorTalks decide which team’s Super Bowl window is still open in 2019: pic.twitter.com/WpdvVyINgt
— Herd w/Colin Cowherd (@TheHerd) December 17, 2019
The Patriots’ Super Bowl prospects obviously aren’t looking as great this season as they have in years past. That said, they still control their own destiny as it pertains to securing a first-round bye, and it feels safe to say New England more so than any other top AFC team would benefit from avoiding Wild Card weekend.
Brady and Co. can take a giant step toward locking up the No. 2 seed Saturday when it hosts the division rival Buffalo Bills.
