Crowe: The 2023 Season Week #2, Patriots' Moral Victories

Crowe: The 2023 Season Week #2, Patriots' Moral Victories

Patriots Nation, I believe we’ve come to the point where we have to ask ourselves this one simple question: do moral victories exist, and if they do, are they enough?

This comes after the season-opening 25-20 loss at home to the defending NFC Champion Philadelphia Eagles. New England found themselves down 16-0 just minutes into the game but not only fought back to make it a contest, but the Pats actually had several chances to walk away with a victory.

Patriots center and captain David Andrews isn’t convinced they exist.

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“Yeah, look, there's no moral victories,” said Andrews according to the team’s website after the loss. “There are really no moral victories in life or anything like that. Really, you've got to execute at your best against a good football team when it counts the most, and that's what it comes down to.”

Let's look at the positives first for those of you who choose to answer the question yes. Quarterback Mac Jones, after a first-quarter pick-six by Darius Slay, threw for 316 yards and three touchdowns. The offense spread the ball out to eight different ball catchers, led by Kendrick Bourne’s 2 TDs and Rhamondre Stevenson, both of whom had 64 receiving yards. The offensive line, despite having rookies Sidy Sow and Atonio Mafi at guard due to injuries to starters Cole Strange and Michael Onwenu, held up well while Jones dropped back for 54 pass attempts.

Defensively, rookies Christian Gonzalez and Keion White looked impressive, keeping the explosive Eagles offense to just 19 points even with cornerback Jack Jones missing with a hamstring injury. Gonzalez had the toughest assignment of the day but contained A.J. Brown, one of the more physical route runners in the league to just 71 yards on seven catches.

Now for the negatives. We mentioned the Jones’ interception for a touchdown. A subsequent Ezekiel Elliott fumble and Eagles score continued the miscue. In the second half, after the Pats fought their way back, the offense went three and out to start the third quarter. Then, late in the fourth quarter after a Jones to Bourne touchdown pass, Calvin Anderson was called for a holding penalty on the two-point conversion that would’ve made it a 25-22 game. Lastly, rookie wide receiver Josh Bootie had two catches he couldn’t get a second foot down on the sidelines. The second would’ve given New England a first down in the final minute with a chance at victory. Finally, the run game has to be better. Stevenson and Elliott combined for only 44 yards (76 as a team).

Throw in some questionable coaching decisions and you have enough to chew on heading into week two against Miami on national television. There was no instant classic, magical ending as the Pats honored Tom Brady. Again, did this team in week one make you feel better, giving you that moral victory? For me, I say it did. But it may be the last time it has the opportunity to use it.

Next up: Miami Sunday night in Foxboro (8:25 pm on NBC)

Going 0-2 at home with road games ahead at the Jets and Cowboys, two of the better defenses in the league, would not be optimal. So, a win here would greatly enhance the team’s outlook for success. The biggest question will be can New England slow down the Dolphins’ speedy offense, who put just put up 36 points on the Chargers last week? That back-and-forth game had seven lead changes right up until the final two minutes of play. Quarterback Tua Tagovailoa threw for 466 yards and 3 TDs including 215 of those yards and two touchdowns to Tyreek Hill. They’ve never beaten Tagovailoa (0-4).

Even though they haven’t beaten Tua, they normally do a decent job putting a hold on his top wide receiver Tyreek Hill. In six games with the Chiefs and Dolphins, Hill has only caught 7 passes for 88 yards while being defended by Jonathan Jones. Miami has Jaylen Waddle too, so they’re not a one-trick pony. The other problem is that Jones showed up on the injury report Thursday with an ankle injury, didn’t practice Friday and is questionable for the game.

Jones’ health isn’t the only one questionable. Joining him on Friday’s final injury report is tackles Trent Brown and Sow, who both have concussions, Onwenu (ankle) joined Strange (knee) and DeVante Parker, who missed the opener with a knee injury.

But here’s how the Pats could win: run the ball against a Miami defense that gave up 233 yards on the ground last week to the Chargers, maximize your possessions while keeping the Dolphins’ offense off the field, and walk away with a close victory. If they do that, they would feel good about themselves heading into week three’s matchup with the Jets, minus Aaron Rodgers.

I may be crazy, but I say the Patriots pull off the upset to even the record at 1-1.

Top five teams in the NFL:
5. Chiefs – Getting Travis Kelce and Chris Jones back will solve their winning problems.
4. Dolphins – Miami was the highest-scoring offensive team in week 1.
3. Eagles – Although not dominant, they got the job done against a stout Pats defense.
2. Cowboys – Its defense was so dominant; the Dallas O didn’t have to do anything.
1. 49ers – The most balanced team in the league.

Five games to watch in week 2:
Dolphins at Patriots (Sunday 8:25 pm NBC)
Chiefs at Jaguars (Sunday 1 pm CBS)
Ravens at Bengals (Sunday 1 pm CBS)
Packers at Falcons (Sunday 1 pm FOX)
Jets at Cowboys (Sunday 4:25 pm CBS)