The New England Patriots haven't played like a bad team to begin the 2023 NFL season, but the reality is they are 0-2 entering a pivotal Week 3 matchup versus the rival New York Jets.
The first two games were winnable, but a combination of factors including turnovers and a lack of late-game execution cost the Patriots in a 25-20 Week 1 loss against the Philadelphia Eagles and a 24-17 Week 2 defeat to the Miami Dolphins.
After losing to the Dolphins, Patriots linebacker Matthew Judon stepped to the podium and spoke before taking questions from reporters. He explained that the Patriots are not a bad team despite the two losses.
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On the latest episode of Tom E. Curran's Patriots Talk Podcast, former NFL defensive end Chris Long, who won Super Bowl LI with the Pats, gave his take on Judon's comments and how it ties into the mindset of an 0-2 team.
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"I think the truth is he does believe they're not a bad team," Long told Curran. "It's one of those things where you could log on and listen to everybody or just read all the hyperbolic stuff. And yeah, the repetitive nature of some of this stuff is a little frustrating, right? But in a vacuum, if you had no expectation prior, you turn on their two games, you'd say they got some problems, but this is a tough, frisky team. I don't want to play the Pats, and I don't want to play that defense.
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"So I think what Matt might be saying is, 'We got young guys, we've been through a lot. We had the Jack Jones thing. We've got injuries. We've got all types of hiccups. We don't need it right now. I'm going to go in there and be positive because Bill's chewing our ass out.'
And so, when you lose in New England -- or anywhere; people think it's just New England, it's not just New England -- it's really tight in the building. And so sometimes your job as a leader is to balance the energy out a little bit and be positive even when it's obviously not."
The Patriots have lost plenty of veteran leaders over the last couple years, most notably Tom Brady, Julian Edelman and Devin McCourty. Someone has to step up and help fill that void, and Long sees Judon taking on that responsibility right now.
"He's a leader on that defense and I trust him," Long said. "Without (Devin McCourty) there, somebody's got to do it. It's such a big loss. Dev's up there on on 'Sunday Night Football'. He's doing great, by the way. Love the guy. And he's one of the best leaders I ever played with. But that's a void. So Judon stepping up to fill that void, too."
Also in this episode: Curran and Long talk about the Patriots' offense, whether Bill Belichick needs to be on the hot seat, and more!