The next six weeks will either see the Patriots right the ship and get back into contention in the AFC, or the team will be forced to make some very tough decisions.
Most coaches around the league don't survive the first couple losing seasons, let alone ones that have been plagued with the issues we've seen from the Pats in recent years.
New England is 3-8 in their last 11 games. They're 9-12 since the start of last season and 10-16 since that wind game in Buffalo during the '21 season. They've scored more than three offensive TD's just four times in their last 37 games and have trailed by at least six points in each of their last 10 contests.
For the last three years, New England has made habit of beating the teams below them in the standings while losing to virtually every team above them. Will that change Sunday?
Per CBS Sports, since the field expanded to a 12-team postseason format in 1990, teams that begin the season 0-3 have just a 2.5% chance to make the playoffs.
It's easy to make a case for either team Sunday because both teams are kind of in the same boat. Solid defenses that keep them in it most weeks, but offensively challenged.
Isn't a W or an L the only stat that really matters? Mac is now 2-7 in his last nine starts dating back to last Thanksgiving, with the two wins coming against backup QB's.