Boston We'll-See Party: New England Patriots Deserve Benefit of Doubt for Now

Ever since Mark Sanchez dinked and dunked New England to death and Rex Ryan’s infectious defense dared Tom Brady to beat the Jets through the air last weekend, we have heard it all. We’ve heard all of the reasons why the Patriots aren’t that good and aren’t nearly the team they were expected to be.

Brady isn’t confident in his knee that was shredded like a pound of hamburger before being rebuilt; the receivers don’t have their timing with Brady; the Pats were so worried about whether or not their all-world quarterback would return to form that they neglected their running game; losing linebacker Jerod Mayo for the next month cripples a defense that is already soft and can’t defend the run; and for good measure, Brady this and Brady that…

The ironic thing about all of this is that those claims are true. Those are all legitimate concerns for a Patriots team that doesn’t really look like they know what to do when they take the field.

The difference is that the way New England has looked so far in this short season shouldn’t be a surprise to anybody. If the expectations for this team are those of the 2007 squad, well then everything this season is going to be a disappointment. But given what has happened over the last year to this franchise, New England deserves at least this week against the Falcons before we all start doing cannon bombs off the bandwagon.

The Patriots were stifled on the opening night of their season against the Buffalo Bills, until Brady went, well, Brady on us and found Benjamin Watson twice in the end zone before I could run to the fridge and back. Did they look impressive? No. Buffalo was tough and New England’s defense relaxed.

But the nation proclaimed Brady was back after proving to all of us why the man could retire today and head to the Hall of Fame. But, of course, the shine was wiped off after a visit to the Meadowlands left Pats fans perplexed. The glimpse of greatness that was Brady in the fourth quarter of the Buffalo game wasn’t nearly enough to knock the doubts out for a couple of weeks.

All right, fine. Give it one more week. Let's see what the Patriots do this weekend at home against a Falcons team that plays to the soundtrack of T.I.’s “Swagger Like Us.” Sitting at 1-1, this could very well be a swing game for the Patriots’ season. Which way are they going to go?

The difference between 2-1 and 1-2 at this junction of the season isn’t enormous in the standings, but psychologically it’s big. It’s the difference between confidence and insecurity.

The undefeated Falcons rank 10th in the NFL in total offense, but they play bigger than that. They play in control and it all starts with their sensational second year QB, Matt Ryan.

Ryan currently ranks 16th in the league in passing, just ahead of Green Bay’s Aaron Rodgers, but it has been more than enough for Atlanta. Consider his 5-1 touchdown-to-interception ratio, and Ryan’s 108.5 QB rating is fourth among all passers (and less than two points behind Brett Favre, whose days consist of short slants and handoffs).

Falcons head coach Mike Smith has done a fabulous job putting Ryan in a position to succeed. Atlanta is riding Michael Turner as much as possible–he is tied for the most rushes in the NFL with 50–and tight end Tony Gonzalez has quickly become Ryan’s favorite target in the red zone.

Even though Atlanta lost defensive tackle Peria Jerry for the season with a left knee injury, they still boast a defense that is big up front, tough, and has underperformed. Heading to Foxborough is almost like a homecoming for Ryan, who played his college ball at Boston College. Will he be comfortable in Bill Belichick’s home? I doubt it, but it’s not exactly foreign turf to him, either.

As for the Patriots, they are dangerous because of all the things I said about the Falcons. They know that the Falcons are a very good team, one that has aspirations involving January football. If New England falls to 1-2 after this Sunday, they will have to grind out the next month.

The Pats' next four games are against Baltimore, at Denver, against Tennessee, and at Tampa Bay. At worst, we would think that would be a 2-2 month for New England, which would put them at 3-4 (assuming a loss to Atlanta this week) and hanging out with the AFC’s bottom feeders.

All things considered, this is a statement game for Brady and for the Patriots. What are they? More importantly, who are they? We can crunch the numbers and pull up many reasons to convince us that the Pats aren’t working at the same speed or efficiency as in years past. But that’s unnecessary. We already know that by watching.

But Randy Moss still lines up out wide, and he is one of the most difficult covers in the league. Wes Welker, who didn’t play against the Jets, can slip comfortably back into the slot and use his slashing style to churn out crucial first downs.

Benjamin Watson isn’t your typical tight end. He is versatile and athletic enough to split out wide like a receiver, making him a mismatch against a linebacker or a corner.

Belichick could help Brady by giving more of the workload to Laurence Maroney and Sammy Morris, but I don’t see Atlanta’s defense getting pummeled by the run. They may bend, but they won’t break. The knockout punch must come from Brady.

And that’s the point of all of this. There are reasons to be concerned, but when the crowd is on its feet bouncing and yelling with the kickoff, and the Patriots offense jogs onto the field, it’s still THAT guy under center.

I’m not saying the Patriots are going to win this week, and I’m not saying they are going to lose. It should be a fascinating game, one where New England, as 4.5-point favorites, could struggle to cover the spread.

But with three minutes to go, Patriots down one, and Brady with the ball, are you betting the house against him? Are you willing to unequivocally say that this offense just isn’t the same, that Brady just can’t find a rhythm with his receivers when it counts, that his knee just won’t let him do that? Are you comfortable with those words?

When Brady has three fingers that sparkle as much as that new stadium in Dallas, I can’t say that I am.

You can reach Teddy Mitrosilis at [e-mail].