The film agreed. Thursday’s’ 24-3 loss to the Jets was more than a manhandling or an embarrassment. It was a cartoonish brawl spinning end zone to end zone, players rolling in a cloud, fists sticking out and the same loser seeing stars at the end of virtually every drive: the Patriots.

The New England Patriots, going into Week 3, had looked better than most people had anticipated; with the typical high-end defense and a powerful running game, the team looked to be competitive in most of their contests on the year.