FOXBORO – You’re forgiven in the event you forgot what that regarded like.
The Patriots cruising into halftime with a huge lead.
Their quarterback kicking his ft up early within the fourth quarter.
A smile spreading broad throughout the top coach’s face, with many of the sport – hell, perhaps all of it – going precisely to plan.
Earlier than Sunday’s blowout of the Panthers, the Patriots hadn’t received a sport like that because the final time they had been a playoff staff nearly 4 years in the past.
That day, the Pats stomped on the stays of the City Meyer Jaguars, 50-10, and in doing so clinched a postseason berth as a result of they’d rebounded from a loss to Buffalo the week earlier than in what was seen as a measuring-stick sport.
That very same check now awaits them once more in Western New York subsequent weekend, when the whole league shall be watching two outdated division rivals battle on Sunday Evening Soccer.
So, are the Patriots a playoff staff, too?
Far too early to inform. Clearly.
However what we all know now, because of Sunday’s put-up-or-shut-up game, is these Pats have postseason potential.
No query.
No really dangerous staff wins video games like Sunday’s, when Drake Maye had as many touchdowns as incompletions. Even Carolina’s 30-0 shutout of Atlanta final week didn’t function the explosiveness and effectivity and three-phase dominance the Patriots demonstrated.
Think about all of their enhancements.
The offense had zero turnovers, which suggests Maye had no turnovers. Maye, the truth is, resisted the temptation to create one thing from nothing inside a closing pocket when he opted for a 0-yard sack within the third quarter as an alternative of chasing an prolonged play and risking a turnover. Distinction that play with the fourth-quarter fumble he misplaced in opposition to the Steelers whereas standing in vary of a go-ahead subject objective.
The child’s studying.
“If there’s nothing there, simply attempt to reside for the following play, reside one other day,” Maye stated Sunday. “Simply study that, and I believe it results in good issues.”
The Patriots additionally dedicated fewer penalties, getting flagged simply 4 occasions after the primary quarter.
They hit seven performs of 20 yards or extra after getting into Sunday with simply eight on the season. Stefon Diggs accounted for 3 of them throughout his first 100-yard sport as a Patriot; rust washing away.
Their protection tackled ball-carriers, and people ball-carriers went down. Inside linebacker and captain Robert Spillane, who missed extra tackles than he made by way of the primary two weeks, once more led his protection with double-digit stops.
And the way have we gotten this far with out mentioning Marcus Jones?
That 5-foot-8 stick of dynamite concurrently blew up one of many NFL’s greatest particular groups items and the Pats’ historical past books with a franchise report 167 punt return yards. His touchdown in the first quarter jolted the Patriots awake after their offense and protection hit snooze on their respective opening sequence. What a participant.
“Marcus Jones, can’t say sufficient about him,” Maye stated. “Shoot, he’s one of the best within the sport at it.”
Due to Jones, Maye, Diggs and everybody else, the Patriots are precisely the place they need to be: 2-2 after principally slogging by way of a September schedule that opened with three straight toss-up video games and a projected cakewalk in opposition to Carolina.
Some dangerous luck and worse errors value them in opposition to Pittsburgh. A little bit good luck and some clutch performs saved them in Miami. Just like the Carolina win, beating the Dolphins hinted at indicators of a franchise reborn, contemplating it was the primary time the Patriots had survived in South Florida since 2019; the final time they had been division champions.
Now, it’s on to Buffalo, dwelling of the AFC East champs 5 years working. This season, the Payments are unbeaten. Josh Allen is the reigning MVP. And most see Buffalo as Tremendous Bowl favorites within the AFC.
By way of 4 video games, the Patriots have proved sufficient to consider in themselves and head coach Mike Vrabel’s imaginative and prescient. There’s momentum right here to start closing the hole between who they’re and who they might be; a Wild Card contender with a precocious younger quarterback and aspirations past what their expertise degree would usually enable.
Now, it’s time to indicate the nation.
Vrabel can already really feel it.
“We’ve got to arrange right here for a division opponent on the street. It’s going to be an incredible setting,” he stated Sunday, “and hopefully we’ll see the place we’re at.”
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