Welcome to Season 12, Episode 2 of the Unconventional Preview, a serious yet lighthearted, nostalgia-tinted look at the Patriots’ weekly matchup . . .
In their season-opening 25-20 loss to the defending NFC champion Philadelphia Eagles last Sunday, the Patriots made a couple of inexcusable mistakes — a Darius Slay pick-6 of a Mac Jones pass, followed by an Ezekiel Elliott fumble — that led to lost opportunities, sleepless nights, and excruciating film sessions.
The Patriots made the kind of instantly regrettable, how-can-that-happen mistakes in their opener last year, too. In a 20-7 road loss to the Dolphins, a strip-sack that led to a Melvin Ingram fumble recovery for a touchdown and a 42-yard touchdown catch-and-run by Jaylen Waddle on fourth down just before halftime left the Patriots looking somewhere between unprepared and inept.