The rest of the 2022 season will be an uphill battle for the New England Patriots, who find themselves in unfamiliar territory after Sunday's Week 4 loss to the Green Bay Packers.
For the first time since 2014, and only the second time since 2000, Bill Belichick's group is alone in last place in the AFC East standings. While their schedule eases up over the next few weeks, quarterback Mac Jones' ankle injury casts a cloud of doubt over the team going forward.
Perry's Report Card: Pats needed more from front seven vs. Packers
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But what if the Patriots use Jones' injury as an opportunity to find their identity? On a new Patriots Talk Podcast, our Phil Perry discussed with Tom E. Curran how New England can use adversity to its advantage.
Patriots Talk: Can adversity help Patriots rediscover their mystique? | Listen & Subscribe | Watch on YouTube
"I think, in a weird way, if they are forced to continue to play without Mac Jones, I think they will be shown that the old Patriots are still there. And if they can harness that, they'll be better off for it," Perry said.
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"This Mac Jones injury could be an 'obstacle is in the way' kind of situation, meaning you have this hard, difficult situation that you're facing right now and people really aren't giving you a chance. And on the surface, you're gonna be worse off for it and there are very few silver linings. To me, if they can lean into this period of time without Mac Jones and still find things that work for them, lean into this obstacle, they can continue to adopt those moving forward and say this is who we are. I think this is a time for them to form their identity even without their most important player."
Also discussed in the episode: At the quarter pole in the season, how do we feel about the offense? Assessing the development of Mac Jones. Have the defensive changes worked? And irrelevant questions with Josh Uche.
Check out the latest episode of the Patriots Talk Podcast on the NBC Sports Boston Podcast Network, or watch on YouTube.