Alan Fortin
Equinox staff
With the 17-week season entering week seven, the New England Patriots have already begun to prove that they are in fact the team to beat this season in the NFL. Having claimed victory over the Pittsburgh Steelers, New York Jets and New York Giants at home, and the Washington Redskins, Buffalo Bills and Miami Dolphins while on the road, the Patriots are begging the question of if any team in the league can stop them. The New England defense is rated the number one overall defense in the league, and it’s no wonder why they are first in turnovers as well as yards against. This should come as no surprise, given that the Patriots have had at least one interception in every game they have played, recording a total of 14 interceptions in those six games. One of the other notable things that the New England defense has done was not allowing a single offensive touchdown until the fourth game of their season. This impressive feat also carried off a Super Bowl where the New England Patriots held the Los Angeles Rams to only a field goal, and did not allow more than 14 total points scored by the opposing team.
The Patriots offense has also been a major key, with Tom Brady having thrown touchdowns to many different players such as Phillip Dorsett, Antonio Brown and Julian Edelman. However, injuries have occurred throughout the preseason and the first few weeks of the regular season to key players such as rookie N’keal Harry, Isaiah Wynn and David Andrews. Nonetheless, the Patriots have still found a way to succeed and win all six of their games so far, despite having lost most starters and key pieces to the offense.
“They have been as great of a team as they could be,” said Alana Lehouillier, a member of the Keene State class of 2022. “I don’t think there is much that could be improved.” This note is something that rings true, with the idea if it isn’t broken then don’t fix it.
However, David Meyers, a member of the class of 2022 disagreed. “I would love Antonio Brown, but he’s kind of a bad guy. I honestly have no complaints though. I am a Patriots fan,” he said. Antonio Brown was released after his only game as a Patriot when he caught a touchdown pass.
“It’s kind of expected that they be 6-0. People blame the pats being 6-0 just because they have an easy record right now. I agree that they have an easy record, but 10 more games will be the full test of the season,” Meyers said.
Another student, Daniel Shea, a member of the class of 2022, said,“It’s not really surprising, because it’s the Pats. Every season it’s always either one way or the other. It’s amazing, which is nice, being a New England fan.” Shea also explained that though he wants to give Tom Brady the credit for the Patriots’ success, he can’t. “We’re being carried by the defense right now. Also, at the same time, the Dolphins game was a blowout. There are always games like that, but the Pats have been playing people that have been giving them that leg.” The Patriots have three more games to play before their bye week. The Patriots play the Jets in New York on October 21, before returning home to take on the Cleveland Browns on October 27. After taking on the Browns the Patriots take on the Baltimore Ravens on November 3, then move on to a bye week.
Alan Fortin can be contacted
at afortin@kscequinox.com
