3 Most Disappointing Patriots Through the First Month of the Season

The Patriots are known for their slow starts under Bill Belichick, who typically treats the first month of the season like an extended preseason. New England could afford that luxury back when Tom Brady was under center and the AFC East was the Patriots' to lose every year, but times have changed.

The Pats no longer have Brady to rescue them, and the division is tougher than it's been in years. New England started 1-3 last season and missed the playoffs by one game, paying the price for its sluggish start.

The Patriots are off to another 1-3 start this year, but things feel more dire this time around. Last season's 1-3 start was understandable given the preseason chaos that ensued with Matt Patricia and Joe Judge running the offense, but Bill O'Brien was supposed to fix that. Instead, New England has only beaten the New York Jets so far (as expected) and is coming off the worst loss of the Belichick era -- a 38-3 drubbing at the hands of the Dallas Cowboys.

A number of players have underwhelmed through the first month of the season, but here are the team's three biggest disappointments so far.

3 Most Disappointing Patriots

1. Rhamondre Stevenson

Without a doubt, New England's biggest disappointment relative to preseason expectations has been Rhamondre Stevenson.

Big things were expected of Stevenson heading into 2023. He'd built off a promising rookie season in 2022, rushing for over 1,000 yards and racking up nearly 1,500 scrimmage yards. He'd been extremely efficient on the ground as well, averaging a robust 5.0 yards per carry.

He was expected to be the team's best offensive player this year, but instead he's fallen way short. Through four games, he's managed just 164 rushing yards on an anemic 2.7 yards per carry. He's only scored 1 touchdown as well, so it's not like he's making up for it by getting into the end zone.

At his current pace, Stevenson would finish the season with only 697 rushing yards if he played every game, which would be extremely disappointing for someone who's supposed to be putting up RB1 numbers.

While a weak offensive line hasn't helped, Stevenson needs to start making more of an impact on the ground. The Patriots' offense is built to run the ball and can't have its top running back averaging just 41 rushing yards per game.