Following Sunday’s last minute loss to the Indianapolis Colts, the New England Patriots have officially been eliminated from playoff contention. The Patriots now join the Las Vegas Raiders and Jacksonville Jaguars as the only teams eliminated in the AFC.
This will mark the third consecutive season that New England misses the playoffs, last appearing in 2021 as a wildcard seed. After only missing the playoffs twice between 2003-2021, this playoff drought is unprecedented for the Patriots.
Even though they have a first year head coach and quarterback, the Patriots have dropped multiple games this season that easily could’ve gone the other way. Their most recent game against the Colts ended in a 25-24 loss that was determined by a last second touchdown and two point conversion.
Although this team isn’t as bad as their record, there is still a lot of room for improvement. As this young team gains more experience, expect them to make less errors and hang on to more of these close games.
Regardless of the 3-10 record, New England has seen many flashes in rookie quarterback Drake Maye, making many believe he will be the next franchise quarterback, giving fans a positive outlook on the team’s future.
