Well, that eventually went the way we all expected, at least in some respects.
After the Patriots slept through the first half on Sunday against the Dolphins in all three phases, the defending AFC East champions finally woke up enough in the second half to lead by 11 for much of the fourth quarter before eventually escaping Miami with a 24-19 victory.
"I'll just have to do a better job of getting them prepared," a soggy Mike Vrabel said. "I'll be better and try to get them to understand that just because we start the game off well that you've got to continue to finish drives and get turnovers and let teams drive it 12 or 14 (plays) for touchdowns."
Everyone wants their team to get up on Sunday morning and steamroll their opponent, especially a team like the Dolphins that entered the matchup with one victory. But there are circumstances at play. You combine the location (Patriots Hell), a deluge for much of the day, and the fact that the Patriots are a MASH unit on offense — missing their top three receivers, having to go to third- and fourth-stringers at guard, and then losing Hunter Henry early in the second quarter — it just wasn't going to be an easy day at the ballpark.
But there are circumstances, and then there's looking like you just don't want to be there. And that's the way it looked as the Dolphins took a 13-3 lead at halftime.
The Patriots didn't really have this issue last season, probably because it was Vrabel's first season and everyone — especially the coach and quarterback — had something to prove every Sunday. The Patriots beat the Panthers by 29, Titans by 18, Browns by 19, Jets by 13, Giants by 18 and the Jets and Dolphins by a combined 60 in the final two games of the season. This season, the Patriots stomped the Raiders by 28 and eventually beat the Steelers by 17, but that game was still a game for way too long back when Drake Maye was struggling.
Last year, the Patriots were chasing something. This year, they're being chased ... and they're continuing to battle themselves, too, with self-inflicted wounds like penalties and turnovers.
"I think we hurt ourselves," Vrabel said. "Again, we just have to stay out of our own way."
In the end, Maye made enough plays, Rhamondre Stevenson ground out enough runs and picked passes off the turf, and the defense finally stopped making Malik Willis look like Lamar Jackson to finish off a victory that made the Patriots 3-0 in the AFC East.
But the Patriots need to get right pretty quickly, because they won't be able to play with their food the next two weeks as Green Bay (5-3) comes to Gillette, and the Patriots face the Lions (5-2) in Munich. Both games will present unique challenges for the Patriots and test some of their vulnerabilities.
The Packers' offense, despite Jordan Love and a lot of talent, shouldn't be a huge issue for the Patriots' defense because Green Bay's offensive line makes the Patriots' current makeup look like The Hogs.
It's Green Bay's defense, specifically against the pass, that will be a stern test for Maye and the Patriots.
Not only are they