When Tom Brady Struggles, the New England Patriots Will Struggle to Win

Sunday afternoon was a perfect case of a team relying way too much on a certain player and a certain aspect of a game. 

If Tom Brady and New England's passing attack is stopped, the Patriots will struggle to find a way to win and could possibly lose games, just like they did against the Buffalo Bills. 

Granted, New England put up 31 points, but Brady was intercepted four times, with one being returned for a touchdown. 

New England had a commanding 21-0 lead with six minutes left in the half, but the team's defense somehow managed to find a way to let Ryan Fitzpatrick and the Buffalo Bills walk back in and steal a victory—there is no excuse for New England's pitiful defensive play. 

I do understand that the Patriots were dealing with a large amount of injuries in their secondary, but their pass defense has been atrocious all year long and it's starting to become a trend. 

At the end of Week 3, the Patriots pass defense is dead last in the NFL, with a putrid 377 yards-per-game average—you cannot get worse than that. In fact, the team ahead of the Patriots, the Green Bay Packers, has a yards-per-game average that is 17.7 yards fewer.

How alarming is that? 

I have been preaching this all season long: If the team's offense struggles just a little bit, the Patriots defense is not good enough to cover up the mistakes, which will result in losses. 

Let's face it, the Buffalo Bills are a very good football team. Quite frankly, they may be better than New England—they're a bit more well-rounded and have a far more balanced offensive attack.

Entering Week 4, Bill Belichick and the Patriots have several things to work on.

As I conclude, I'd like to leave you with an interesting stat from Sunday's game: The Patriots failed to record one sack—what happened to New England's improved pass rush? 

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