Neg England Patriots fans were treated to an unfamiliar sight Sunday afternoon, as their team dropped their home opener at Gillette Stadium for the first time in the building's history.
It wasn't like the Patriots lost on a few freak plays: they had a punt blocked and had an opportunity to win on a Stephen Gostkowski field goal with the clock expiring, but as Greg Knopping writes over at Pats Pulpit, the Pats "didn't deserve to be in the game" after getting handled by the Arizona Cardinals all day long.
So the Patriots end up with the loss on a game they should have lost, then should have won, but ultimately ended up losing... cool? Is it frustrating? Yes. End of the world? No. The Patriots do have a lot of work ahead of them, however, and they're facing a very tough Ravens team seeking revenge for their AFC Championship loss next Sunday night.
Knopping wrote that the game could serve as a wake-up call for a team always expected to be among the league's best, giving credit to the Cardinals' strong defensive effort to stifle Tom Brady's vaunted attack.
For more on the Patriots, head over to Pats Pulpit as well as SB Nation Boston.