Stephen A. Smith Believes Patriots Going ‘Nowhere’ After Rough Start

The New England Patriots are one of nine NFL teams to start this season with two straight losses.

And ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith sees the Patriots being in more grave danger than any of the other teams that share an identical 0-2 record.

“When you asked me who is in the most trouble, I’m thinking that Cincinnati (Bengals) will find its way out of it,” Smith said on “First Take” on Tuesday. “I don’t think that the Patriots are going to find its way out of anything, just like we didn’t expect them to.”

Smith clearly isn’t high on the Patriots’ ability to dig out of their rough start, and it’s mainly because of New England’s anemic offense. The Patriots lack game-changers on that side of the ball, making life difficult for Mac Jones, who has shown to be nothing more than a middling quarterback in the league.

Compounding issues is the sieve of an offensive line New England possesses, helping give the Patriots nothing more than a high school offense.

“It don’t matter if the Patriots are ready or not. They just don’t have it,” Smith said. “They don’t have it because Mac Jones is not that dude, because the offensive personnel that Bill Belichick is surrounding him with, they’re not those dudes. Their defense is real, we get that. But offensively, tell me why they’re better than the Pittsburgh Steelers. I just don’t see it.”

Smith did have to concede that the Patriots have played tough against two of the top teams in the league in the Philadelphia Eagles and Miami Dolphins.

But Smith sees too many issues, mainly Bill Belichick’s personnel decisions since Tom Brady’s departure, for the Patriots to overcome.

“I give the New England Patriots respect for that,” Smith said of New England’s one-score losses to the Eagles and Dolphins. “I’m just saying I don’t expect much from them offensively. I don’t think they have what it takes offensively. And because of that, I think when you look at Buffalo and Miami in the AFC East, I think that they’re going nowhere.”