Midseason report: Patriots’ execution is better than ever
A Texans executive stood in the press box at Gillette Stadium, mumbling under his breath while the Patriots were in the midst of beating the Texans, 27-0, in Week 3.
“It’s not like they’re so much better than everyone else,” he said. “They just execute. They always execute.”
Their star quarterback didn’t play for the first four games, the backup quarterback hurt his shoulder, the third-string quarterback hurt his thumb, the star tight end essentially sat out four games with a hamstring injury, and the star linebacker was traded away for underperforming.
Yet the Patriots are 7-1 at the midway point of the season, anyway, thanks largely to their remarkable knack for executing in key moments.
The Patriots entered their bye week on a roll, having won four games in a row by an average margin of 16.25 points. But all is not perfect in the Patriots’ kingdom, either, as evidenced by the surprising trade of Jamie Collins last week. Bill Belichick knows that despite having the best record in the league, his team has flaws that could come back to haunt him come playoff time.
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