The State of the 2023 Patriots: Accountability Check

What will the end of the season look like for the Patriots? Make a prediction!

If you feel like you’ve seen this article on this site before, don’t worry; there’s no glitch in The Matrix. I last posted a New England Patriots accountability check back in October of 2021 when the team sat at 1-3 and had just released Stephon Gilmore. The first time I posted it was all the way back in 2018, when the would-be Super Bowl champion Patriots sat at 1-2 after an embarrassing loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars and everyone thought the team was done.

I wanted to see if folks were willing to put their money where their mouths were, make a prediction about the state of the team, and revisit those comments at the season’s end. Everyone was so low on the Patriots during those moments, I thought it would be an interesting experiment, and it was more or less successful; the articles received a ton of comments and people seemed to enjoy the receipts I presented at the end of the season. Some of you were spot on, others were way off, and a few more have likely long checked into the nuthouse by now.

Given the past success of those articles, I thought I’d try something a little different this time around. Rather than post an accountability check on the heels of a crushing loss, I thought I’d do it coming off of a seemingly rare feel-good win. The Patriots just took down the Buffalo Bills and showed some real signs of life for the first time in a long time. There’s optimism around the team for once. So it’s time to ask how Patriots Nation feels right now.

Has this team turned the corner? Or was Sunday’s win just a small blip on the Failed Season Express? How do you feel about the 2023 Patriots and where they’ll be come January?

Now is your chance to definitively state where you think this team will end up once the season ends. If you think New England can claw their way back and finish with a respectable record, let us know. If you still don’t see them notching more than four wins, make the call below. If you’re starkly terrified of commitment and want to hedge your bets with a, “Let’s see how they perform this week before making any real judgment” waffle, go for it. Later on this year, I’ll take some of the comments that I think represent a good cross-section of how everyone is feeling, post them up for all to see, and give you the opportunity to crow over how right you were, or eat crow over how wrong you were.

Just so we’re clear: by commenting on this article, you hereby give Pats Pulpit your full permission to have that comment posted in an article I will put up at the end of the season in which I see who was right and who was wrong. If you were correct, you’ll be acknowledged for it. If you were way off, be willing to face the music. Fans of other teams are more than welcome as well – just be ready for the potential consequences of accountability.

So have at it. What can we expect from this team once the season is over? Where will the Patriots end up?