The Patriots are 2-3. Are they what their record says they are? Might they be a little better than that and merely victims of circumstance? Or could they be even worse than we imagined think?
Let’s go: No. Yes. No.
Context matters. The first loss was on the road against a very good Seahawks team. No shame in that. The second loss was on the road against a very good Chiefs team. With two unprepared, not-ready-for-prime-time players at quarterback. The third loss came last week to a spunky, lower-middle class Denver team in a week where the Patriots had no time to prepare and a rejiggered offensive line.
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If these Patriots get to 10 wins this year, I’ll take my hat off to them. But they aren’t objectively “bad” by any stretch and they get a good chance to prove that Sunday against a Niners team that’s kind of in the same boat. Good team. High expectations. Some complicating details leading to their 3-3 record. The Niners have lost two of their past three -- all at home. We’ll see how they travel.