There are so many questions facing the New England Patriots ahead of what could be considered a must-win game against the New York Jets on Sunday.
That isn’t to say the Patriots would no longer have a literal path to the playoffs after a 0-3 start to the season. They could still make the big dance if they were somehow able to go on a magnificent run.
Buy Patriots TicketsBut it wouldn’t be likely with the murderer’s row slate of opponents lined up on their 2023 schedule.
Three of the next four games for New England will come against the Dallas Cowboys, New Orleans Saints and Buffalo Bills. The margin for error is so incredibly slim that the Patriots can’t afford to drop a game against a Jets team they have owned for over half a decade. They are 14-0 in the last 14 head-to-head meetings.
Here are seven burning questions for the Patriots ahead of Sunday’s Week 3 matchup.
1
Will Mac Jones have time in the pocket?
The offense is dead in the water if the Patriots perform like they did last week against the Dolphins. Mac Jones could turn into Sack Jones with Quinnen Williams and the Jets’ ferocious defensive front breathing down his neck.
Mike Onwenu and Cole Strange should both be less rusty in this game, and there’s hope that Trent Brown will back in at left tackle. The unit must do a better job of buying Jones time to throw in the pocket.
Most importantly, they have to create lanes to get the run game going. Given the lack of explosiveness on the outside at receiver, the Patriots are a team that desperately needs to depend more on play action to generate more opportunities to throw the ball downfield.
2
Can the Patriots' defensive front avoid getting run into the ground?
Stopping the ground game against Jets running backs Breece Hall and Dalvin Cook seems like a daunting task for a Patriots defense that just gave up 121 yards and two touchdowns to Dolphins running back Raheem Mostert last week.
The effort along the defensive front, particularly in their ability to seal the edges, must be significantly better in this matchup. There’s no secret that the Jets will be looking to play to the strength of their defense. So they’d rather run the football effectively and keep all of the passing short, safe and underneath for Zach Wilson.
If the Patriots can consistently stop the run and force Wilson into third-and-long situations, they’ll increase the chances of the third-year quarterback forcing plays and making mistakes.
3
Will the Patriots continue to overcome injuries at cornerback?
Marcus Jones and Jack Jones are both on injured reserve two games into the season. Jonathan Jones is also still working his way back from the ankle injury that kept him out of Week 2.
It’s a big problem for the Patriots’ defensive backfield.
The good news is rookie first-round draft pick Christian Gonzalez has been every bit as good as advertised. He received high praise from Dolphins All-Pro wideout Tyreek Hill after their matchup.
“I was able to go against their rookie. He’s real good,” Hill said on an episode of the “It Needed To Be Said” podcast, via the Vocal Podcast Network. “Very lengthy corner, had some real good technique and speed about him. So they’ve got some real good pieces over there in New England, man. So shout out to New England.”
Gonzalez helped hold Hill to only 40 yards and one touchdown. The Patriots will need a similar effort in another tough matchup against Jets’ start wideout Garrett Wilson. There’s hope that Jonathan Jones can get back into the mix this week, but if not, it could be more of Myles Bryant and Shaun Wade for this matchup.
4
How big of a factor will special teams be?
The Patriots won on a walk-off punt returned for a touchdown the last time these two teams met.
Both offenses aren’t particularly explosive, while the two defenses are among the best in the league. This could be another mostly defensive game where touchdowns are hard to come by.
That means the Patriots might have to depend on the leg of rookie kicker Chad Ryland, along with the field position afforded by punter Bryce Baringer, to win the game. This could be one of those ugly games that simply comes down to who makes the most plays in the third phase.
Special teams is an area the Patriots have worked hard at improving, and Sunday’s game might be their best opportunity to show it.
5
How will Demario Douglas respond to being benched?
Coach Bill Belichick’s decision to bench rookie wide receiver Demario Douglas was just weird.
Sure, he fumbled the football against the Dolphins, but others have fumbled as well without receiving the same treatment from Belichick. The timing was also bad considering the Patriots could have used Douglas’ separation skills on the field.
Instead, Belichick allowed his team to struggle on offense without one of their best playmakers. Whether you agree with Belichick’s decision or not, it’s still going to have a major impact on this game. How will Douglas bounce back from being benched?
Will it compromise his confidence ahead of another huge football game, or will he take it all in stride and bounce back even stronger? Not every player reacts the same way to that kind of coaching.
6
Will the Patriots finally get their run game going?
Rhamondre Stevenson and Ezekiel Elliott have yet to combine for over 100 rushing yards in a game. That obviously isn’t all on them with all of the struggles along the offensive front.
But at the same time, they also need to be better against one of the best defensive fronts in football on Sunday. The inability to run the football effectively limits the offense as a whole because the unit can’t capitalize as well on play action.
They need to get the defenders to bite more and respect their ability to rack up yards on the ground. But so far, it has been disappointing watching the combined effort on the ground from one of the league’s best running back tandems on paper.
7
Will the Patriots defense continue to be a nightmare for Zach Wilson?
Zach Wilson has been sacked 11 times and thrown seven interceptions in his last four meetings against the Patriots. Belichick’s defense has been an absolute nightmare for the Jets signal-caller.
Wilson still has a tendency to turn the ball over, and there’s hope that the previous meetings with New England will stir up the sort of bad memories that rattle him during the football game. The Jets playing hot potato with the football on offense will open up opportunities for the Patriots to shorten the field and punch it into the end zone.
Every touchdown scored in this battle of elite defenses will feel like death by a thousand paper cuts. If the Patriots can force mistakes and get ahead on the scoreboard early, they’ll be in a good position to coast the rest of the way on the coattails of their defense.
