What Went Wrong for the New England Patriots Monday Night?

Ding-da-ding my cell phone goes off at 9:52 Tuesday morning. A charming reminder from my boss, a Chargers fan, of the night before.

"Old fashioned ass kicking! The death of a dynasty."

What a wonderful way to start the day.

Who saw that beatdown coming?

Nobody, really. That’s why they have all those “any given Sunday,” “that’s why they play the games,” “every team who plays the Saints this year gets trounced by Drew Brees ” clichés in football. Even fans in New Orleans thought this would at least be a close contest.

So what exactly did we see Monday night?

Realistically, everyone (myself included ) should have seen this coming. The Patriots have only performed really well when they’re playing lesser talent. They only have two wins this season against teams that currently hold winning records—the  Atlanta  Falcons and Baltimore Ravens, both of whom are bordering on mediocrity.

What made anyone think that they could beat a team of excellence like the Saints?

The analogy has been used to compare the Patriots this decade to Mike Tyson   and that might be fitting; early on, they stunned everyone with how methodically they won, and no one knew how to stop them.

Like Tyson after Buster Douglas fight (or for the Patriots Super Bowl XLII), the chinks in the armor became exposed. Now, they are a feast for anyone who has the firepower to expose those weaknesses.

The Patriots defense has performed well enough all season to get the job done, but the weaknesses had already been exposed prior to this game;a mediocre run defense coupled with inexperience and a lack of top-flight talent in the secondary.

The Saints had the tools to capitalize on both of these weaknesses and they did so in explosive fashion.

As much blame as the defense have been given, the offense didn’t perform up to its standards either.

Tom Brady failed to get into a rhythm as he was bombarded with blitzers all day. I anticipated a much better performance against a blitz-heavy defense after he picked apart the Jets last week.

Against the Saints though, he overthrew wide open receivers three straight times to set up a 4th down, where the Patriots had to settle for a field goal.

So what’s next for the Patriots?

If there’s a silver lining to be found, Bill Belichick says that the errors he saw exposed in the game against the Saints are “correctable” .

If there’s another light at the end of the tunnel, it’s Belichick’s December record with New England is an astonishing 32-6 in his nine-year tenure as head coach.

Those teams were much different than this one. He was working with much more talent on defense and in the running game in years past than he is now. Only time will tell if New England’s wily head coach can get the best out of his men going into the playoffs.

Another thought that might offer a glimmer of hope for New England fans, is to what extent was Monday night’s rout a show of excellence by New Orleans compared to a show of weakness by New England?

It’s clear that New Orleans is 11-0 for a reason. Although their opponents haven’t all been top-flight contenders, New Orleans has been getting everyone’s best game all season and performing with excellence.

We all know how Belichick usually fares the week after a loss, especially one as heartbreaking as this. This season's Patriots have proven to be a confusing bunch.

But with the way the Patriots played against the Saints, we could be in line for a December that leaves New England with more questions than answers. Their weaknesses have been exposed and their opponents now have video surveillance (no pun intended) of the chinks in the armor that were so heavily gashed in the Bayou.

The Patriots' remaining schedule features the prototype middle-of-the-road teams they've feasted on all season. With a schedule that leaves Miami, Carolina, Buffalo, Jacksonville, and Houston in wait, we could be in line for many snow angels at Gillette Stadium in the month of December.

The Patriots and their fans definitely hope that's the case.