Consecutive losses by the Patriots have caused many NFL analysts to think New England may not be as ready to contend for the AFC title, or Super Bowl, as the group once appeared to be during its seven-game win streak.
ESPN analyst Jeff Saturday, however, isn't of the same belief as colleague Marcus Spears or Mina Kimes, who he joined on "First Take" on Tuesday. Instead, Saturday believes New England will be able to bounce back from its two straight losses to the Indianapolis Colts and Buffalo Bills.
"I think they're contenders and I would tell, I would use kind of Mina's argument -- they've already beat the Bills one time and they played them and listen, everybody on this set knows Josh Allen played dang near a perfect game against the Patriots," Saturday said, citing Allen's impressive Week 16 performance at Gillette Stadium. "He made plays that he had absolutely no business making. Hats off to you. Like when Bill Belichick says you're going to have to beat me left handed, (Isaiah) McKenzie is beating you with a left-handed knockout, right?
"... Like I don't expect those things to happen continuously to the Patriots," Saturday added. "And so when I look at this football team, I would tell you this, other than the Chiefs right now, who have separated themselves in the AFC, you would give the Patriots a fighter's chance in each and every one of those games. So to think that they are pretenders because of Mac Jones or whatever flaws they have, we could point to that in every football team in the AFC minus the Chiefs right now, who are on this hot streak."
Saturday, a longtime offensive lineman for the Colts, also cited Patriots head coach Bill Belichick as another reason he thinks New England could be in the mix when the playoffs get started.
"But when I think about one game in the playoffs, coaching against Bill Belichick, you got your hands full and listen, I've lived it," Saturday said. "So when I think about what Belichick can do, and the way he can continue to advance, I think Josh McDaniels is understanding the limitations of Mac Jones and their passing attack. And so he will figure out we have to do, right?
"So for me to just go, 'Oh, they're pretenders because they got beat by the Colts on a blocked punt, some special plays, and then against Buffalo with a special (Allen) performance,' I still think they're in the mix."
The Patriots will have a chance to get back in the win column Sunday when the Jacksonville Jaguars come to Gillette Stadium.
