"A main theme of the Patriots' 2025 season so far is getting in their own way, which ensures they make a win as difficult as possible to accomplish. Unfortunately, this strategy has been effective, as they now enter Week 4 with a 1-2 record. They were just a play or two away from being undefeated; however, on the other side, a play or two away from being winless, too."
"Much of that has been the result of costly turnovers, foolish mistakes leading to bad penalties, and the lack of competent football being played by all units of the team. We saw a lot of that this past weekend, but it certainly didn't help that officiating was incredibly bad for both teams, resulting in 15 total penalties for 109 yards on the day."
"One of the biggest culprits of the ill-timed penalties was unfortunately cornerback Alex Austin, who recorded two horrific calls on third and long, which ultimately extended Aaron Rodgers' ability to move down the field. The first came on the Steelers' first drive, as Austin was called for a phantom defensive pass interference call. Rodgers led the offense to their first score of the game, putting them ahead early, and that continued on their next series, also as a result of Austin's mistake/bad penalty."
Patriots 2025 season has been undermined by self-inflicted errors, leaving the team 1-2 entering Week 4 after narrow margins could have produced a different record. Costly turnovers, untimely penalties, and overall lack of competent play across offense, defense, and special teams have repeatedly stalled progress. Officiating compounded problems with 15 penalties for 109 yards in the Steelers game, where several flags came at particularly damaging moments. Cornerback Alex Austin committed two pivotal penalties on third-and-long that extended drives and directly facilitated Steelers scoring drives. Continued mistakes and bad timing of penalties risk producing an even worse season with fewer wins.
Read at Musket Fire
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