From Dominant To Doormat: Patriots Now Get-Right Opponent

FOXBORO, Mass. — The New England Patriots long were considered the class of the National Football League. Owner Robert Kraft, head coach Bill Belichick and quarterback Tom Brady formed a trio 31 NFL franchises envied for two decades.

That’s not the case anymore.

The Patriots now are the doormat they used to wipe their feet with. They’re the get-right opponent they always seemed to come across at the perfect time. Remember the AFC East dumpster fire? The Patriots went from the team which poured gasoline and lit the flame to the one viewed as the leaves and branches.

It proved to be the case again at Gillette Stadium on Sunday.

The New Orleans Saints punked the Patriots in a 34-0 beatdown. It marked the largest shutout deficit in the history of the organization. History! It felt over as soon as struggling quarterback Mac Jones threw his second pick-six in as many games.

The 2023 Patriots now are the team other struggling franchises want to play.

“I think it’s probably as complete a game as we’ve played around here in a while,” Saints head coach Dennis Allen said after New Orleans improved to 3-2 on the season. “This is what I want our team to look like.”

If only the Saints played the Patriots every week.

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And let’s not act like the Saints were the class of the NFC. For all the talent they have on their roster, and they do have a lot of it, the offense underwhelmed in consecutive losses. Entering Week 5, Saints offensive coordinator Pete Carmichael was thought to be on the hot seat given that New Orleans ranked 25th in points scored and had not scored more than 20 points this season. They scored 21 by halftime Sunday.

Carmichael owes Bill Belichick a fruit basket. He’ll almost certainly survive another week.

“In the seven years I’ve been here, offensively, we are used to operating at a certain level of efficiency and effort where we could score at will,” running back Alvin Kamara said. “And as a team, when the defense is doing what they are doing, it can get ugly. It’s a great feeling to go out there and put that on display.”

Saints defensive star Cam Jordan added: “I always expect this type of performance, we’re always striving for a perfectly-played game in all three phases each and every week. At some point I’m sure reporters and fans are like, ‘When are those going to be played?’ It seems like this week we played a close to perfect game and there were still plays we could have made.”

Patriots captain David Andrews called it the same old story for New England.

The Patriots were the perfect get-right opponent for the Dallas Cowboys in Week 4, too. After suffering a stunning loss to the Arizona Cardinals, the Cowboys put a 38-3 beatdown on the visiting Patriots. Dallas scored a pair of defensive touchdowns in that game, meaning New England’s offense has been outscored by opposing defenses 21-3 in the previous two games.

Step right up, Las Vegas. And don’t worry about wiping your feet off outside.