While some viewed it as a real possibility, there won’t be an undefeated campaign in Foxboro this season.
The Patriots were handed their first loss of the 2019 season Sunday night courtesy of the Ravens, who employed an unrelenting rushing attack to take down the reigning Super Bowl champions. New England’s vaunted defense finally showed some cracks, and the Patriots as a whole manifested a few of their weaknesses under the bright lights of M&T Bank Stadium.
Despite those issues that need to be addressed, NFL writer Dan Hanzus doesn’t believe there’s any legitimate cause for concern in New England. That said, the team’s ugly loss to Baltimore was reflected in NFL.com’s latest power rankings, which dropped the Patriots down to No. 3 after New England previously owned the top billing.
“The Patriots began their season with eight straight wins, with nearly all of those victories coming by landslide,” Hanzus wrote “That dominance is what made Sunday night’s 17-point loss to the Ravens such a surreal sight. This Patriots team has been led by its defense, but when Lamar Jackson marched Baltimore on a pair of 14-play touchdown drives in the second half, it showed that the unit is not nearly as invincible as originally thought. In Week 8, a bad Browns team rushed for 159 yards against New England. The Ravens went over 200 yards on the same night the Patriots’ own running game fizzled once again in limited duty. It was a bad night, no doubt, but this is hardly time for panic at Patriot Way. Bill Belichick gets a nicely timed Week 10 bye to get healthy and clean up some of the deficiencies that have popped up. The Pats’ next opponent (the Eagles) should be worried.”
At least one Eagles player doesn’t seem at all worried about Philadelphia’s upcoming matchup with the Patriots. Lane Johnson already is looking forward to having some “fun” at Lincoln Financial Field, where the teams will collide for a Super Bowl LII rematch on Nov. 17.
