OPINION by Kalvin Tragethon

Going into the bye week, the New England Patriots have a 2-8 record and it is now apparent that their dynastic run is over. 

    Going into the 2023 season, the Patriots were hoping to be able to find more success this season behind their third year quarterback Mac Jones. Last year, the Patriots were pedestrian on offense in 2021, as they averaged 21.4 points per game, which ranked 17th out of 32 National Football League (NFL) teams. But after the offseason hiring of offensive coordinator Bill O’Brien who had been the Patriots offensive coordinator in 2011 producing the third best offense in the league that year, the Patriots hoped that O'Brien could repeat that success. 

  However, this year through 10 games, the Patriots rank 26th in total offense this year and quarterback Mac M. Jones has regressed, throwing the 10 interceptions, which ranks second most in the league.

  And the Patriots’ problems go beyond their coach and quarterback struggles. This past offseason, the Patriots made a number of troubling roster decisions, including letting wide receiver Jacobi Meyers leave in the NFL free agency. Meyers was M. Jones’ favorite receiver last year, leading the team in both receiving yards and touchdowns. But the Patriots were unwilling to give Meyers the three year 33 million dollar contract that the Las Vegas Raiders gave him. So far this year, Meyers has put up 463 yards through 10 games, and five touchdowns, which is the most on the Raiders this year. 

  To replace Meyers, the Patriots brought in former Kansas City Chiefs and Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver Juju Smith-Schuster. Smith-Schuster last year put up 933 receiving yards, which ranked second on the Chiefs behind their leading receiver, tight end Travis Kelce. The Patriots signed Smith-Schuster in free agency and gave him a three year $25.5 million contract. But so far this year, Smith-Schuster’s production has been down, as he only has 149 receiving yards and 1 touchdown this year. This is due in large part to a knee injury he has dealt with which has resulted in Smith-Schuster missing three of the Patriots’ first 10 games this season. 

  The lack of success that the Patriots have had is resulting in a divided locker room. A report that came out Tuesday from Andrew Callahan of the Boston Herald says that a team source informed him that around 80% of the locker room no longer has faith in Mac Jones as the team's starting quarterback. The Patriots also cut cornerback Jack Jones on Monday, after he was benched for the second time in as many weeks in the first quarter in the Patriots week 10 game in Germany against the Indianapolis Colts. J. Jones, who has had a history of off the field issues, was accused of attempting to bring two guns in his carry-on luggage. These charges were eventually dropped, but were the beginning of his demise in New England. After the Patriots’ loss against the Washington Commanders, the first game J. Jones was benched in, he refused to speak to the media, however he let his feelings be known when he liked a tweet from a fan who tagged J. Jones saying, “you really shoulda just pleaded guilty at this point.” J. Jones inferred that he would rather be in jail than on the Patriots.

  These comments from Jack Jones are the perfect example of how head coach Bill Belichick has completely lost the locker room, as the players on the roster no longer have faith in each other or the system. As a result of this, reports have begun swirling around that Belichick is going to be fired at the end of the season, and if this comes to fruition, it will end the most successful run for a head coach that the NFL has ever seen.