Tag: The Morning After

The Morning After…Chiefs comparisons to Patriots grow louder

The Chiefs and Patriots comparisons grow louder, but how warranted are some of those comparisons?

Patrick Mahomes hoisted his third Lombardi Trophy on Sunday after knocking off the San Francisco 49ers in Super Bowl LVIII.

It marked the first time a team has gone back-to-back since Tom Brady and the New England Patriots did it in 2004. It also solidified the Chiefs’ dynasty by giving them their third Super Bowl victory in five years.

Sports fans are naturally prisoners of the moment, and there will be every attempt possible to unseat the Patriots’ greats to make room for the next contenders to the throne.

Some of the chatter out there deserves conversation, while some of it feels a bit premature. Here are some leftover notes from the Super Bowl in relation to the Patriots:

The Morning After…End of an era, or not?

Will the inevitable rebuild in New England include Bill Belichick as head coach?

While New York Jets players did snow angels after beating the New England Patriots 17-3 in Sunday’s regular season finale, Bill Belichick walked off the field for perhaps the last time as Patriots head coach.

It was a sobering moment that brought a rush of emotions for longtime fans of the team. Belichick was the man responsible for building the greatest dynasty in NFL history.

Even for those ready to say Tom Brady deserves the brunt of the credit for the winning, there is no Brady in New England if Belichick didn’t take him at No. 199 in the 2000 NFL draft. Belichick is the architect, and he deserves the utmost respect for his contributions.

But there’s also the reality that the team needs a new direction after a second straight losing season. They finished 2023 with a 4-13 record and last place in the AFC East. Change is desperately needed.

Is it the sort of change that needs to happen without Belichick, or will the team go a different route, while also staying connected with the greatest coach in NFL history?

Here are some leftover notes from Sunday’s game:

The Morning After…Patriots back in control of draft destiny

The Patriots put up a valiant fight against the Bills and climbed the 2024 NFL draft board. Some would consider that a win.

Before the ball dropped on New Year’s Day, the New England Patriots were leaving it all on the field at Orchard Park in a hard-fought battle with the red-hot Buffalo Bills.

They didn’t come away with the victory on paper, but it’s hard to walk away from that game feeling like the Patriots lost. After being pegged as double-digit underdogs, the Patriots came within less than a touchdown of the Bills in a 27-21 loss at Highmark Stadium.

They also climbed back up the 2024 NFL draft board to No. 3 overall, which puts them within reaching distance of Jayden Daniels, Drake Maye or possibly even Caleb Williams at quarterback.

Granted, it might have still felt like a loss for the players, but for the Patriots organization overall, Sunday’s game was an absolute win.

Here are some leftover notes from the Week 17 matchup:

The Morning After…Did Patriots ruin Christmas with win over Broncos?

Did the Patriots help or hurt themselves in Sunday’s win over the Broncos?

Before Santa Claus’ sleigh left the North Pole, the New England Patriots were pulling off a Christmas miracle at Mile High on Sunday against the Denver Broncos.

After blowing a 16-point lead, Patriots quarterback Bailey Zappe led the offense on a game-winning drive that was bookended by an improbable 56-yard field goal from rookie kicker Chad Ryland. The win officially knocked the Broncos out of the playoff hunt and helped the Patriots improve to 2-2 with Zappe as the starter this season.

Typically, a victory would have generated an overall rush of excitement for a team, but the Patriots also potentially knocked themselves out of a top-three pick in the 2024 NFL draft.

If the season ended today, they would be picking at No. 4 overall, which could put them out of the running for one of the top quarterbacks.

Some fans would rather not tank and win as many games as possible, while others were hoping the team would lose games to have a shot at landing either Caleb Williams or Drake Maye in the draft. The issue has split the fan base right down the middle with two more games left to play.

Here are some leftover notes from Sunday’s game:

The Morning After…Bailey Zappe, Patriots come back down to Earth

The Patriots put up a better fight than expected, but the end result was still the same against the Chiefs.

Well, it was fun while it lasted.

The New England Patriots got to do the victory dance for a few extra days after their Thursday night upset win over the Pittsburgh Steelers, before it all came crashing back down to Earth in Sunday’s 27-17 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs.

There was a moral victory baked into the disappointment of defeat. The Patriots went toe-to-toe with the Super Bowl champs, who were coming off back-to-back losses, and kept it competitive. That’s saying a lot when facing an angry Patrick Mahomes-led team desperately looking to get back into the win column.

The Patriots also managed to keep their No. 2 pick in the 2024 NFL draft intact. So it’s hard to think any fans walked away completely unhappy with this game considering the outcome gave them the best of both worlds.

Let’s dive into some leftover notes from Sunday.

The Morning After…Even at their lowest, Patriots still own Steelers

Bill Belichick is now 10-3 against Mike Tomlin in his career.

There’s nothing like a good, old-fashioned Bill Belichick and Mike Tomlin matchup to suddenly make everything okay again for the New England Patriots.

Who cares if this moment of bliss is fleeting? The Kansas City Chiefs are coming to Foxborough next week to more than likely stomp a mudhole in these Patriots, but thanks to the Pittsburgh Steelers and Tomlin, the team can rest peacefully for the next nine days.

Belichick came into Thursday night’s game 9-3 all-time against Tomlin. That number seemed sure to go in the other direction given the walking offensive disaster the Patriots have been all season.

And then it was like magic in Pittsburgh. The offense surprisingly looked ready to compete, and some of the most unlikely Patriots players stepped up as heroes.

Let’s delve into some leftover notes from Thursday’s game:

The Morning After…new quarterback, same problems for Patriots

Even with Bailey Zappe under center, the Patriots were shut out at home by the worst passing defense in the NFL.

The New England Patriots had everything in play for a potential turnaround game against the Los Angeles Chargers.

Mac Jones, who had handicapped the team with numerous turnovers, was watching from the sidelines, while Bailey Zappe finally got his chance to start and play for an entire game. The Patriots were facing a Chargers team with no Joey Bosa and the worst passing defense in the NFL.

There was no pressure or high expectations with the team sitting at 2-9 and pegged as underdogs in their home building. And the defense was playing lights out, as it has for most of the season, by limiting the previous two opponents to only 10 points.

Heaven itself opened and delivered a rainy, messy football game to help limit quarterback Justin Herbert and the Chargers’ potent offensive attack to give the Patriots a chance to compete on even ground.

None of it was enough for the Patriots, who crashed and burned with Bailey Zappe at the wheel for their second shutout loss at Gillette Stadium this season.

Here are some leftover notes from Sunday’s game:

The Morning After…major draft blunder comes back to haunt Patriots

One of Bill Belichick’s worst drafting blunders came back to haunt him against the Giants.

The tanking crowd had plenty to celebrate as the significantly lighter New England Patriots bandwagon sputtered to 2-9 on Sunday.

A late fourth-quarter comeback drive by quarterback Bailey Zappe and the Patriots offense was ultimately foiled, due to a missed 35-yard field goal attempt by rookie kicker Chad Ryland.

As if the fan-base needed further reminding, the loss to the Giants cemented the fact that the Patriots are one of the worst teams in football. It also kept them in position to have a shot at coming away with one of the top-two quarterbacks, Caleb Williams or Drake Maye, in the 2024 NFL draft.

Let’s get into some leftover notes from Sunday’s game.

The Morning After…The Mac Jones dream ends for Patriots

Mac Jones isn’t the answer. Bailey Zappe isn’t the answer. Who is the answer for the Patriots?

After over three years, the Mac Jones dream is over for the New England Patriots.

It’s time to wake up, wipe away the drool, climb out of bed and take a hard look in the mirror the morning after watching Jones put forth the worst quarterbacking performance in the Bill Belichick era.

The No. 15 overall pick of the 2021 NFL draft was an absolute bust for the Patriots. Make no mistake, Belichick also deserves blame in the situation because his methods were a failure at developing a young quarterback that showed significant potential right out of the gates as a rookie.

But Jones is the man under center. He’s the one with the ball in his hands. He’s the one person on the field every player is supposed to look to and trust with the game on the line. Yet, time and time again, he has proven that he isn’t the right guy for the job in New England. Sunday’s 10-6 loss to the Colts was the breaking point.

Let’s delve into some leftover notes from the game.

The Morning After…If you still have hope for 2023 Patriots, it’s time to face the music

Some leftover notes the morning after the Patriots’ 20-17 loss to the Commanders.

The New England Patriots fell to the Washington Commanders at home 20-17 on Sunday.

It was no different than the team we have seen since the start of 2022, a bland offense lacking firepower and a defense that has to work their tails off to keep the team in the game.

Commanders quarterback Sam Howell took charge and threw for 325 yards, one touchdown and one interception, defeating a depleted Patriots defense. On the other side of the ball, the Patriots offense looked out of sync, and it feels like they are starting to officially check out.

Things feel like they have turned from frustration to just outright lack of passion. At least a frustrated locker room has some belief for the season. However, the team we saw against the Commanders feels like they’re packing it in and collecting their game checks.

Let’s get into some leftover notes from the game.