Patriots Not Most Dysfunctional AFC East Team Thanks To Jets

The Patriots season looked bleak through five weeks, yet they somehow weren’t the most dysfunctional franchise in the AFC East.

New England’s offensive line looked broken, Jacoby Brissett couldn’t find consistency, the coaches made questionable decisions and the team captain faced multiple assault charges.

Things looked bad in Foxboro, Mass., but the Patriots at least have a plan for the future with Drake Maye, and they have an excuse that this season is a rebuilding year for the franchise.

The New York Jets actually were expected to do something. Aaron Rodgers was supposed to be miraculously rejuvenated from his Achilles injury, which was supposed to bring Gang Green back into the spotlight. They were but not in the way they hoped.

After a 2-3 start and tough loss in London last Sunday, the Jets on Tuesday reportedly fired head coach Robert Saleh. Defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich reportedly will be the interim head coach.

New York was 23rd in offensive EPA after Week 5 and sixth in defensive EPA, but the defensive-minded head coach was the problem?

No matter how he’ll try to spin it in his news conferences or on the “Pat McAfee Show,” it’s clear Aaron Rodgers had his hand in the move. There seemed to be tension during the Jets’ win over the Patriots in Week 3, and that didn’t subside as the Jets lost the following two games after it looked like Rodgers and the offense got back on track.

Breece Hall and Garrett Wilson looked like New York’s offensive playmakers of the future, yet the team’s future Hall of Fame quarterback can’t get them going. The Jets revamped their offensive line, but that hasn’t made the difference in protecting Rodgers.

Offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett didn’t beat the fraud allegations to start the season, but Rodgers can’t seem to quit his guy. It seems like the belief is that Davante Adams can come in and save the team, but they really want to rely on a 31-year-old wide receiver coming off a hamstring injury?

Yes, New England offensive coordinator Alex Van Pelt might be just as bad as Hackett, but Van Pelt’s excuse is that he’s in his first season as a playcaller; he could get better with more experience. Fans have seen enough of Hackett to know that he offers nothing on offense.

Also, does anyone remember Haason Reddick? New York traded for the former Philadelphia Eagles pass-rusher, and he’s yet to play through five weeks. Rodgers mocked Reddick’s agent who suggested there was “disarray” in the Jets locker room. Well, it seems like he might be vindicated.

The Jets hoped Rodgers could help them usurp the Patriots as the dominant force in the AFC East, but they showed Tuesday that not much has changed.