Welcome to the Unconventional Review, an instant reaction to standouts, stats, and story lines from the Patriots’ most recent game …
We all suspected it, and now we know for sure.
The near-flawless season-opening victory over the Bengals was the mirage.
What we’ve seen the last few weeks — from a second-half implosion against the Seahawks, to a hapless Thursday night performance against the Jets, to Sunday’s hopeless 30-13 loss to the potent 49ers — is who they are.
It’s probably who they were always going to be, with a replacement-level quarterback in Jacoby Brissett (168 passing yards, an assortment of new bruises) and the gaping holes in the offensive line that won’t be fixed until the early rounds of the 2025 draft.