I, like most people in the country, watched last night’s game between the New England Patriots and the New York Jets on the couch. I was comfortable and safe and only had to run to the bathroom during the commercial break, so I didn’t miss a thing.

And I feel like I got hit by a truck this morning. I can’t even imagine how Jacoby Brissett feels today.

1. Before I get serious about these fan notes, I think it will be helpful for all of us to make a few hard confessions. It’s OK, we’re all friends here. This is a place for healing.

2. First off, we all have to admit that despite everything, the Bengals game in Week 1 created some unrealistic expectations for the 2024 Patriots. We all said the right things like “they’ll probably only win 4 or 5 games this season anyway” and “Week 1 really means nothing,” but deep down we all thought New England might surprise some people this year. A close OT loss the following week didn’t exactly dampen those thoughts either, as the game was very winnable and they were basically one blocked field goal away from being 2-0. So that’s on us.

3. Second, we all have to admit that we were much more disappointed with Drake Maye’s 2024 debut than any of us should be. We thought the final score would be 24-10 after Maye put together a beautiful scoring drive that gave us hope and ended any debate about who would start at quarterback the rest of the year. But Maye put on exactly the performance you’d expect as a rookie in this current offense, and regardless of who is under center – just like we’ve all been saying since April but decided to give up on halfway through since earlier this month – we’re in for a long season.

OK, are you feeling better?

Yeah, me neither.

4. This was a game in which the youth and inexperience of this team, at every level, from the coaches down, was on display for the world to see. Thursday Night Football requires an immediate turnaround without a break, with a new game plan and new strategies, and a brief reminder of the week before. And the New England Patriots seemed completely unprepared for a football game last night in every way. From being overwhelmed at the line, to an inability to adjust, to early fatigue, poor tackling, stupid mental errors and penalties, to poor play calling, I just didn’t see anything that made me believe this final week of preparation was handled well.

5. And that’s OK, to be honest. New head coach, new personnel, new approach… there will be teething issues. It just depends on what you do going forward.

6. And I hope the offensive line remembers how to “move forward,” because if they won a single snap at the line of scrimmage, I would have missed it. From whistle to whistle, it was just bullying and beating.

7. And you’d like to think that the injuries played a big role. And that’s true. The entire left side of the line is in shambles. But it’s also due to a lack of experience, a lack of talent, and a lack of depth.

8. In other words, how dare this offensive line play as poorly as we expected all season?

9. What really concerns me about this line though? I’m starting to think that Michael Onwenu is simply not suited to life as a right tackle. Tackle requires a certain level of speed and lateral quickness that Onwenu just isn’t showing at the moment. I’ll be going through the season Week day telling myself that Onwenu needs to be so dedicated to backing up Layden Robinson that his own duties (heh. duties) suffer. Because if he doesn’t, the Patriots will have zero tackles on either side of the line and too many serviceable guards.

10. We also have to accept that David Andrews is past his prime. He is still a good center, but his best days are behind him, and that is no one’s fault but time.

11. Why the Jets didn’t blitz every down is beyond me. I don’t think they blitzed once all night. Then again, when you’re under that much pressure on three or four, I guess you don’t need to blitz the whole time.

12. I want to say that we all saw the low point of this O-line for the season at the end of the half when the Jets only had three rushers, the Patriots had five linemen on defense, and still managed to hit Brissett throwing. I want to say that’s the low point. I want to say that so, so much.

13. If I were Jacoby Brissett, I would go through every single footnote in my contract this morning to see what it says about hazard pay.

14. It’s not all on the line; Brissett missed a few opportunities. A mid-range pass to Austin Hooper springs to mind, as does an out route to Polk that he botched. But this team just doesn’t have any real weapons, and there’s no reason for the defense to worry about a single Patriot whose primary job is to catch passes. I think some receivers on this team have bright futures, but limited receiver skills + terrible offensive line + mediocre quarterback with limited upside = whatever we get now.

15. Ultimately, it boils down to this: The 2024 Patriots are a very limited team. If they find themselves in a situation where they can control the game and play perfect football and their opponent makes some mistakes, they can win the game (see Bengals). If they can control the game and play nearly perfect football and their opponent doesn’t make any mistakes, they have a chance to win the game (see Seahawks). If they can’t control the game and have to deviate from the plan in some way, it’s going to be a rough night.

16. I’m not trying to take the Jets down. Last night, Aaron Rodgers looked better than he has since 2021. The man was just focused and incredibly precise. I counted six times when he rolled out to his right, the Patriots had to break open the defense, and he hit a receiver on the run for a big gain. You could tell last night’s game meant something to him, and you have to tip your hat to a future Hall of Famer.

17. For that reason, I don’t want to criticize the defense too much, as they were in an impossible situation. They were on the field for over 40 minutes after a tough overtime game three days ago. No Patriots offensive play lasted longer than four minutes and 36 seconds. They were facing a quarterback who could diagnose the coverage before the snap and initiate the right play every time (which goes back to my first point about lack of preparation). And the fact that they only allowed three touchdowns is actually pretty impressive.

18. That said… this game could have easily been lost 10-3 if the plays that put a Patriot in contact with a Jet behind the line of scrimmage had resulted in a tackle for a loss instead of a miss and a seven-yard gain. Or if the players hadn’t taken three steps and shoulder-charged the quarterback. Or if the guys hadn’t decided not to throw the runner to the ground.

19. One glaring hole in the defense, however, is the complete lack of a true coverage safety. I like Kyle Dugger and Jabrill Peppers, but their play styles are pretty similar and we no longer have Devin McCourty back there guarding the back third of the field. This forces the Patriots to be a little more conservative with their position groups.

20. I would also say that Garrett Wilson’s touchdown, like probably every other quarterback who has ever played, is a 97-yard pick-six from Christian Gonzalez. He read the play perfectly and jumped the route with excellent timing. Aaron Rodgers is just an all-time great and in my opinion the best ball-placed quarterback to ever do that.

21. To be clear, there’s a LOT more to being the GOAT than being able to put a football anywhere you want. You have to take other things into consideration. Things like not being a complete moron, among many other elements.

22. I think a Drake Maye appearance in Week 5 is more than possible. I see no reason his first game as a pro should be on the road against one of the best teams in the NFC, but in Week 5 they play at home against the Dolphins without Tua, who suddenly look like a much better opponent.

23. But I’ll also say, if you’re so worried about a rookie getting shaken up or having his confidence shaken by being ruined by good defense, you shouldn’t have drafted him 3rd. Mental toughness was an issue for Mac Jones, so we don’t need more of that in this system.

24. I honestly believe they want to protect Maye. Jacoby Brissett looked like a beaten man, by any standard of the term, when he limped into the locker room last night with a towel over his head.

25. There were definitely some positives to this game. The play of the game, at least from the Patriots’ perspective, was a 15-yard pass from Maye to Douglas on 4th-and-10, where Maye outsmarted the safeties and fired a dead-on shot over the middle to set up a 1st-and-goal at the 7. So what if Maye got sacked again on that very play? That was a great read and throw. You get a few of those from a rookie every game, and you build on that.

26. We saw a deep shot from Tyquan Thornton. So what if it was his only attempt and it was incomplete? He drew the DPI call.

27. Bryce Baringer is once again in a position to be named Patriots MVP twice in a row. So what if he’s the punter?

28. But that’s the real positive about this game: This loss represents a great opportunity to test the mental strength of this team and coaching staff. In years past, the Patriots have used a loss like this as a fuel to turn inward, to look within, to come together as a team and come out much stronger. You think about games like that 31-0 loss to the Bills in Week 1 of the 2003 season, or that horrific MNF loss to Kansas City in 2014, or those back-to-back December losses in 2018 and how that bonded the team together, and you hope at least some of that happens in the next few days. They have a mini-off now, which presents a great opportunity to dig deep into the strength of the team.

29. Not that I’m expecting a win on Sunday, but I’d like to see them hold on for a while longer before it all goes south.

30. And on a personal level, I’m glad I don’t have to watch Thursday Night Football for the rest of the year. Plus, we just saw our last primetime Patriots game of 2024, which is a win for me.

31. I suppose the NFL could air the Week 17 or 18 game against the Chargers and Bills in prime time, but for some reason I just don’t see it happening.

Next up, we’re heading across the country to play the best team in the NFC. It’s going to be a real blast.