Things are historically bad for the New England Patriots after falling flat on their faces at home against the Los Angeles Chargers on Sunday.
Per ESPN Stats & Info, via Mike Reiss, the Patriots are the first team since the 1938 Chicago Cardinals that has given up 10 or fewer points in three consecutive games and still lost all three games.
Ouch.
That stat feels like a gut-punch because it puts into perspective how poorly the team has performed offensively. It has been a complete disaster to the point where the defense needs to be virtually flawless every week just for the team to even have a chance to win a game.
From @ESPNStatsInfo: The Patriots are the first team since the 1938 Chicago Cardinals to allow 10 points or fewer in 3 straight games and lose all 3.
— Mike Reiss (@MikeReiss) December 3, 2023
Coach Bill Belichick has done a phenomenal job coaching up the defense to overcome multiple injuries and still succeed at a high level. They somehow managed to hold a top-10 Chargers offense, led by one of the NFL’s most talented quarterbacks in Justin Herbert, to only six points.
But the offense has been a complete letdown.
The unit looked a little better with Bailey Zappe at quarterback than it did with Mac Jones in recent weeks, but it still failed to get the job done on every drive against a Chargers team with the worst passing offense in the league.
Belichick fortified the defense, while building an offensive sand castle tasked to withstand a hurricane. Is it really that big of a surprise things turned out this way?