At least the Patriots know what to do on Tuesday now.
Coming into the game, the Patriots’ best-case scenario would have been a decisive victory, something that indicated last week’s encouraging win over Buffalo was actually a springboard, not an outlier.
In that case, they could have felt comfortable keeping the band together or even conservatively adding somebody if the price was reasonable at the NFL’s Tuesday trading deadline.
But that obviously didn’t happen.
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The next-best scenario was a game that gave them the green light to sell on Tuesday and turn their priorities toward the future.
A close loss in a strong effort would have created a conundrum. On one hand, that might have shown progress, while at the same time dropping them deeper into a hole at 2-6. There’s nothing worse than being mediocre.
There’s no such quandary now. It’s selling time.
Sunday extinguished whatever hope that beating the Bills spawned and returned the fan base to its prior level of consternation.
Miami trounced New England, 31-17 on Sunday. Patriots were overmatched by a likely playoff team. At 2-6, they pass neither the eye test nor any mathematical likelihood of making the playoffs. ESPN’s FPI gave them a 2.6 percent chance of making the playoffs before Sunday’s loss. The Patriots have to go 7-2 in their final nine games just to avoid a losing record.
It’s not happening.
Mac Jones went back to looking skittish and making bad decisions. The offensive line gave up three sacks had minimal success running the ball and two starting receivers left the game with injuries leaving their short-term futures in doubt. The defense lost Ja’Whaun Bentley, another blow to an already banged-up bunch.
Bill Belichick was asked whether the loss or the Patriots’ record changed the team’s approach.
“We’ll worry about next week and get ready for next week,” Belichick said.
As long as next week includes the trade deadline in his mind. The Commanders can wait. The Patriots can be on to Washington on Wednesday. Or Tuesday night.
The 48 hours between the end of Sunday’s loss and the Halloween trade deadline should be all about seeing what assets the Patriots can acquire to help down the road. There might not be much there. Kendrick Bourne, who left with a hamstring injury, and Josh Uche, who didn’t dress with an ankle/toe ailment, would have been among the more attractive targets for contenders. But it’s worth finding out. If there’s a coach who thinks he can turn Mac Jones back into an above-average NFL starter too and is willing to part with picks to try. The Patriots would be crazy not to listen.
That’s not to say it should be a fire sale. There are obviously pieces on the New England roster worth building around. But 2024, 2025 and 2026 have moved well ahead of 2023 in importance to the franchise. Any deal that makes the Patriots better in the future is worth considering. Nobody should be off the table.
Whether Belichick is willing to sell, should be one of the more interesting subplots on a critical Halloween. There is no benefit to being one of the best of the non-playoff teams. Pulling the franchise out of its multi-year downward spiral is critical. His willingness to embrace starting full-rebuild now could influence whether he’s still the coach in New England next year and whether or not he’s still in charge of personnel.
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The last-place Patriots are three games behind the third-place Jets in the loss and just one game ahead of the Arizona Cardinals, (who won Sunday) for the worst record in the NFL. Every loss the Patriots suffer should make winning less urgent.
There’s a difference between tanking and changing priorities. Everything the Patriots do from now until the end of the year should emphasize long-term improvement. How they proceed at the trade deadline should make that plan loud and clear.
Follow MassLive sports columnist Matt Vautour on Twitter at @MattVautour424.
