They looked like Super Bowl contenders in Week One and AFC afterthoughts in Week Two. Will the real New England Patriots please stand up?
The Patriots will be looking to bounce back from a divisional loss when they face the hapless Buffalo Bills on Sunday.
After dominating the Cincinnati Bengals in the season opener with Tom Brady throwing three touchdown passes and no interceptions in the 38-24 drubbing, it appeared as though the team was on its way to another cruise into the AFC playoffs.
But the New York Jets exposed a number of flaws in the New England game plan last week, most notably an inability to finish off victories and a defense that can be worn down.
While the Cincinnati win came easy enough, looking back there were some key red flags, as the Patriots allowed three touchdowns in the second half to briefly turn it into a game in the fourth quarter.
The Jets and their defense managed to keep it closer in the first half and overcame a 14-10 halftime deficit to outscore the Patriots 18-0 after the break. An inexperienced secondary led by second-year cornerback Darius Butler and rookie Devin McCourty could not stop the New York receivers in the second half and committed a pair of key pass interference penalties.
Leigh Bodden was supposed to be one of the starting cornerbacks this season, but he was placed on injured reserve in training camp due to a shoulder injury. The secondary also is not getting much help from a weak pass rush that is missing Ty Warren.
Brady also wasn’t much help, tossing a pair of interceptions and losing a fumble in the second half after throwing two touchdowns before the break.
The Bills should not put up as much fight, however.
The lowest-scoring team in the NFL through two weeks, Buffalo has managed just 17 points and 352 yards combined while falling to the Miami Dolphins and Green Bay Packers. The pathetic attack prompted first-year head coach Chan Gailey to announce this week that Ryan Fitzpatrick will be replacing Trent Edwards at quarterback against the Patriots.
Edwards had completed 29 of 52 passes for 241 yards, one touchdown, two interceptions and a 58.3 rating in the two games.
Fitzpatrick saw action in front of Edwards last season as well and started against New England on Dec. 20, throwing for 178 yards with a touchdown and an interception in a 17-10 setback.
The Bills have not had much success against New England recently, losing 13 straight to their AFC East foes by an average of 17.9 points. Buffalo has never won at Gillette Stadium.
The Patriots will be without running back Kevin Faulk for the remainder of the season due to a torn knee ligament. The 12-year veteran was a key third-down back and the best blocker and receiving threat Brady had coming out of the backfield.