Crowe: The 2023 Season Week #16 - Pats' Dysfunction Shining Bright

Crowe: The 2023 Season Week #16 - Pats' Dysfunction Shining Bright

This was supposed to be the season the Patriots and head coach Bill Belichick put things back together. Offensive coordinator Bill O’Brien was back in town and ready to fix things with third-year quarterback Mac Jones. Yet, here we are on Christmas weekend with the Patriots in Denver for a Christmas Eve Holiday Classic at 3-11 taking on the equally underachieving 7-7 Broncos. So, what went so horribly wrong?

Well, maybe the fact that O’Brien didn’t even know that the team had picked up backup quarterback Nathan Rourke on waivers from the Jaguars on Monday might give us a little insight on the dysfunction of the 2023 New England Patriots.

“Yeah, I’ll be honest with you, I just found that out and just met him in the hallway,” said O’Brien when meeting the media Tuesday according to the team’s website. “So, it’s going to be good to work with him.”

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O’Brien later went on to say that Jones might even play in the final few games should starter Bailey Zappe falter or get injured.

Injuries. Not enough talent. Bad coaching decisions. Years of neglect in the draft. It’s all come back to haunt New England this season. But fear not Patriots Nation, it’s almost over. Your high draft pick, currently second in April’s NFL Draft, awaits you to start anew. Treat it like a present under the Christmas tree.

The Patriots travel to Buffalo before closing out the regular season at home against the Jets. How ironic would it be if that turned out to be the final game in Foxboro for Belichick? After all, it’s the Jets who allowed the dynasty to happen in the first place by trading him to the Patriots 24 years ago after Belichick’s resignation, where he so famously wrote “I resign as HC of the NYJ” on a napkin.

Sometimes, before you move ahead, you must look back.

 

NFL Week 16 Power Rankings

10. Cincinnati Bengals (8-6, Last week not ranked)
Just when the Bengals had recovered from the loss of quarterback Joe Burrow, they got hit with another major injury. Wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase will miss time, including Saturday’s game against the Steelers, with a shoulder injury. That will definitely put a crimp in Jake Browning’s plan to follow up last week’s comeback victory with another win.

 

9. Buffalo Bills (8-6, Last week ranked 10th)
Can anyone figure out the Bills? They should probably be ranked higher based on how they’ve played the past two weeks, but can we just forget about how they got to .500 in the first place? Heading into week 16, they are in 9th place in the AFC, out of the playoffs. Their final three games (at Chargers, vs. Patriots) include a tasty week 18 matchup in Miami that could decide the AFC East championship.

 

8. Cleveland Browns (9-5, Last week ranked 8th)
Does anyone want to face this team in round one of the AFC playoffs? Quarterback Joe Flacco does just enough to compliment the NFL’s number-one-ranked overall defense (261 yards/game). Can he limit his turnovers (3 vs. Chicago) that almost cost them the game?

 

7. Philadelphia Eagles (10-4, Last week ranked 4th)
What’s wrong with the Eagles? They’ve lost three in a row (49ers, Cowboys, Seahawks) to go from the top seed in the NFC to a wild card team fighting for a road game. Monday night, with new defensive coordinator Matt Patricia calling plays, they let Seattle go 92 yards in the final two minutes to snatch a Seahawks victory. Quarterback Jalen Hurts simply has to play better and stop turning the ball over. He’s tied at the top (or bottom) in the league with 20 turnovers (12 interceptions, 8 fumbles).

 

6. Kansas City Chiefs (9-5, Last week ranked 6th)
If anything, you could call the Chiefs win in Foxboro lackluster. They’re still not running at peak performance, putting up only a 27-17 victory, but they’ll take it. An easy schedule in the final three, all against backup quarterbacks in the Raiders, Bengals, and Chargers, should earn them at least one home game, if not more in the postseason.

 

5. Dallas Cowboys (10-4, Last week ranked 2nd)
Same ol’ Cowboys it seems. Dallas traveled away from the cozy confines of home last week and got blitzed by the Bills, 31-10. The road gets no easier in week 16 with a trip down to Miami against a Dolphins defense that just shut out the Jets. They’ll follow that up with a crucial home tilt against the Lions before closing with Minnesota.

 

4. Detroit Lions (10-4, Last week ranked 7th)
The Lions hold a three-game lead over Minnesota with only three games left to play. Ironically, they’ll play each other twice in that span and could add another in the NFC playoffs. With wins over the Vikings and a road game at the Cowboys, Detroit could have themselves a pair of home games in the upcoming playoffs. Rookies Jahmyr Gibbs and Sam LaPorta are on fire, accounting for five scores in Saturday night’s win over Denver.

 

3. Miami Dolphins (10-4, Last week ranked 5th)
No Tyreek Hill, no problem for the Dolphins. All they did was shut out the Jets without their star receiver and keep the AFC’s top spot within earshot. Things won’t be easy down the stretch though for Miami as they close with home games with the Cowboys and Bills sandwiched around a trip to Baltimore in week 17. Win them all and they’ll secure home advantage through the AFC playoffs.

 

2. Baltimore Ravens (11-3, Last week ranked 3rd)
They say that running the ball and good defense wins the playoffs. Well, Baltimore is the number one rushing team (163 yards/game) and tops in scoring defense (16.1 points/game). Add that to a quarterback in Lamar Jackson who can seemingly escape any tight spot and the Ravens will be a tough out in January.

 

1. San Francisco 49ers (11-3, Last week ranked 1st)
When healthy, the 49ers have been the dominant team in football. San Francisco is currently at full strength and has outscored its opponents by a margin of 207-94 in its six-game streak. Just take your pick of who’s the best player on this team: Brock Purdy, Christian McCaffrey, Deebo Samuel, George Kittle, Nick Bosa, and Fred Warner, amongst others. Christmas night’s game against Baltimore, showcasing our top two teams could be a Super Bowl preview.

 

Five games to watch in week 16:
Patriots at Broncos (Sunday 8:15 pm on NFL Network)
Browns at Texans (Sunday 1 pm on CBS)
Lions at Vikings (Sunday 1 pm on FOX)
Cowboys at Dolphins (Sunday 4:25 pm on FOX)
Ravens at 49ers (Monday 8:15 pm on ABC)