Rick: The New England Patriots get a A- from me for the first half of the season. It started off as a C during the first four games, especially against the Kansas City Chiefs. The last five games have been very impressive as it has shown has the team’s resilience and their mental toughness, especially in the Bengals blowout. New England’s defense has had some strong games, but the offense has found its form. Tom Brady has been outstanding over the last five games and with Gronkowski back and Brandon Lafell starting to gain consistency, this offense is once again one of the tougher ones to stop in football. If you look at the Patriots as, at worst, the second best team in the AFC, they have to at least get a high grade for the first half of the season.
Raj: Oh man, this has been fluctuating all season long. In week 5, this team was a solid D+/C-. But hey, the Patriots always need some games to warm up right? Since the loss in Kansas City, they haven’t looked back and have actually looked like the Patriots we know. Except for that close game against the Jets, every one of those wins have been convincing. Based on that, I’m going to give them a B+. They’re playing phenomenal but I still need to see them play like this on the road against better teams. If they can get the job done there, I can’t see why you can’t give this team a solid A. They have key road games against Indianapolis, Green Bay (that one scares me because brutal cold weather), and San Diego. But for now, I’m content with giving this team a B+. Not too bad!
Kyle: I would give them a B+, but if you ask any of my students, I’m a pretty easy grader. While their first four games hovered around the C-, D+ area, their last five have been closer to an A-. Before we go and coronate them, remember that they were sweating like a priest at a little league game against the Jets. Their domination of Denver gives me hope that they have turned a corner schematically, and their defense is going to be what it was supposed to be for the rest of the season.
Derek: Currently, the Patriots are playing A+ football, but since the entire nine games need to be taken into account, their slow start is going to bring down the average. The loss to Miami will make what would normally be a runaway AFC East division race, a close contest for at least the next few weeks. The loss to Kansas City, wasn’t overly damaging, but it sure was ugly. The Patriots earn extra style points for dismantling Cincinnati and Denver, who are two of their top opponents in the AFC. At the end of the day, I’ll go B+ as well. There’s a lot of good things happening with the team lately, but the slow start puts them in a tenuous situation with Denver’s schedule lightening significantly, while the Patriots go through a guantlet of tough games the next few weeks.
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