After a mixed start to the season, the New England Patriots seem to be slowly regaining their old strength. With the win against the Carolina Panthers, Head Coach Bill Belichick’s team achieves a positive record for the first time this season.

Munich – The New England Patriots are back!

A little over a year and a half after the departure of Tom Brady, the Patriots seem to have recovered from this. After a “transition season” with Cam Newton, anticipation was high for the 2021 season. There were many reasons for that.

The Future of the Franchise

Mac Jones was selected in the draft. The Patriots selected the 23-year-old with the 15th overall pick. Jones is supposed to be the quarterback of the future, which is also why the organisation decided to release the actual starter Cam Newton shortly before the start of the season. The keys to the franchise were thus in the hands of Mac Jones early on.

To ease him into his NFL career and to improve the team, the Patriots did something they had rarely done in the past: In Free Agency, the team from Massachusetts really reached out.

Matt Judon, Jonnu Smith, Hunter Henry and Co. were added to the team. Never before had the Patriots invested so much money. The goal was clear: not to slip into mediocrity!

The start of the season was mixed. They suffered an unfortunate defeat against the Miami Dolphins. Especially because the Dolphins have only won one other game since then, Boston should be annoyed. This was followed by a good performance against weak New York Jets and games that sum up the “Pats” season so far very well.

Old virtues for success

The Pats had an incredibly hard time against opponents who were considered to be weaker (Houston Texans, New Orleans Saints). On the other hand, they played for victory against much better teams (Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Dallas Cowboys) until the very end. After convincing victories against the Jets, Chargers and Panthers, New England now has a positive record of 5-4.

The Patriots are returning to their old virtues in their style of play. Damien Harris and Rhamondre Stevenson deliver a solid running game, Hunter Henry and Jonnu Smith provide the “two-tight end sets” that are so popular with the Patriots.

The strong defence around pass rusher Matt Judon and cornerback J.C. Jackson can keep New England in the game or get them back into it at any time. The return of linebacker Dont’a Hightower, who sat out last season because of Corona, is also making a noticeable impact.