'Not a Bad Team': Judon Downplays Patriots’ 0-2 Start
For the first time in 22 years the New England Patriots are 0-2 to start the season. While obviously, that season had the happiest of endings, as it was just the beginning of a dynasty that lasted over a decade, this current Patriots team believes they are much better than their record suggests.
"This is not a bad team," star edge rusher Matthew Judon said following Sunday's 24-17 loss to the Miami Dolphins. "I don't think we're about to hang our hat up here or in that locker room, so when we come back on Monday and we watch this film we're going to get our corrections corrected. Then when we come back together on Wednesday, it's not going to be 'Oh, how are y'all going to put it together?' We already know how."
Being 0-2 isn't the end of the world, as Judon suggested, as teams have still made the playoffs despite the bad start, like the 2001 Patriots. However, that shouldn't mean the Patriots should respond with any less urgency, as they still need to figure out how to turn these close losses into wins.
Even after another rough start against the Dolphins, as the Patriots offense punted on their first possession before Miami got a field goal and capitalized on the Demario Douglas fumble to take a quick 10-0 lead, they managed to come within inches of winning.
That same feeling of belief the fanbase felt as Rhamondre Stevenson found the endzone to cut the deficit to seven points in the fourth quarter, before Dolphins kicker Jason Sanders missed his 55-yard field goal attempt, mirrored how Week 1's game versus the Philadelphia Eagles went.
The Patriots had a chance to complete the comeback but ended up falling a foot, or in the most recent case, a few inches short.
So, what's the key to winning games like Sunday night?
"We just got to play how we played in the second half from the first play," Judon said. "When we take the field, it's got to have some type of energy. We've got to have some type of juice. We can't wait until we're down 17. We can't wait until we're down 13 to try and make a comeback. It's too hard in this league."
The Patriots have proven capable of getting hot offensively. Quarterback Mac Jones has shown the same promise under new offensive coordinator Bill O'Brien in many of the same ways he did as a rookie. Despite playing behind a makeshift offensive line that didn't have either starting offensive tackles, Jones was still decisive and confident in the pocket.
According to Next Gen Stats, Jones finished with the third-fastest "time to throw" at 2.38 seconds in the league during Week 2, only trailing Joe Burrow (2.28) and Tua Tagovailoa (2.08). Putting the interception aside, 31 for 42 passing with 231 yards and a touchdown was a solid performance from the third-year signal-caller, considering the circumstances upfront.
While it is said that the key to winning in the postseason is "getting hot at the right time," that same thing can be said about winning football games. So far, the Patriots haven't found their rhythm until the second half, something they will need to change going forward.
