Max Kellerman campaigned for the Patriots one day removed from a New England loss.
Yes, you read that correctly.
Kellerman, who's drawn the ire of the Foxboro Faithful on too many occasions to count, believes his "First Take" co-host Stephen A. Smith made a mistake by not including the Patriots in his latest top-five NFL rankings. New England owns a .500 record entering Week 5, but Kellerman was impressed by the Patriots in both of their losses.
"...I know they're 2-2," Kellerman said Tuesday on ESPN. "Without Cam Newton, they played a hell of a defensive game against the Chiefs. With Cam Newton, maybe it's different. Otherwise, their one loss is to Seattle on a great goal-line stand by the Seahawks. I think you could actually make a case for a 2-2 team right now."
The Patriots do deserve some credit for their effort Monday night. After traveling to Kansas City early in the morning, New England really made the reigning Super Bowl champions earn it on their own turf. In fact, one could argue Newton-less Patriots lost the Week 4 game more than the Chiefs won it.
Still, Bill Belichick and Co. won't be making any excuses for the defeat. Instead, they'll be turning their focus to Sunday's matchup with the Denver Broncos at Gillette Stadium.
