Written by Nancy Armour at USA Today.com
The New England Patriots barely resemble the team some thought might go 16-0.
Were they ever that good in the first place?
A last-second loss to the Carolina Panthers on Sunday revealed that what appeared to be flukes during the first month are legitimate and troublesome flaws, deficiencies that could be problematic all season. An unreliable secondary. An undisciplined defense.
Even a future Hall of Fame quarterback who appears to be too reliant on a couple of favorite targets.
“Collectively, as a whole team, we’ve all just got to do a better job,” coach Bill Belichick said.
Yes, the NFL is wondrously quirky, and no team is immune — as Sunday’s games showed. The Houston Texans put up 57 points, more than they managed in their first three games combined. The Los Angeles Rams lead the league in scoring. The Buffalo Bills beat the Atlanta Falcons to take sole possession of first place in the AFC East.
The 33-30 loss to the Panthers, on Graham Gano’s 48-yard field goal as time expired, is New England’s second loss at Gillette Stadium this year. The Patriots needed a late rally to avoid a third loss in Foxborough last week against Houston.
The most glaring problem is the defense. New England has have given up 300 passing yards to each quarterback its faced in the first four games, and the New Orleans Saints are the only team the Patriots have held below 30 points.
But more than the stats, it’s the uncharacteristic sloppiness with which the Patriots are playing. Time and again they had the Panthers in third-and-long situations, and time and again they wound up giving up a fresh set of downs.
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