There's no sugar-coating the 2023 NFL season for the New England Patriots. It's been a disaster.
The team owns the third-worst record in the league at 2-9, and if certain outcomes come to fruition this weekend, New England could be eliminated from playoff contention in the AFC by the end of Week 13. That kind of scenario would have been unthinkable just a few years ago, and for most of this century.
The situation for the Patriots is so bad this season, that even former players aren't afraid to admit the truth.
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"I'm going to be honest. We're not good," Kevin Faulk told reporters Wednesday before an event at TD Garden, per MLB.com's Ian Brown. "We're horrible."
Faulk was a second-round pick of the Patriots in 1999. He played his entire career with the Patriots before retiring after the 2011 season. The former LSU running back was one of the team's most reliable players -- in the run game, as a pass-catcher and kick returner -- during New England's Dynasty 1.0 during the 2000s. He played a key role on three Super Bowl-winning teams. Faulk was inducted into the Patriots Hall of Fame in 2016.
The Patriots are back in action Sunday afternoon when they host the Los Angeles Chargers -- another team having a very disappointing season -- at Gillette Stadium.
If there's one good thing that might come out of this season for the Patriots, it's the likelihood of them getting a top-three pick in the 2024 NFL Draft.
