Patriots finally miss the playoffs for first time since 2008

After a long run of making the postseason, the New England Patriots are now guaranteed to miss the playoffs for the first time since 2008. 

For years now, New England Patriots fans have grown used to seeing their team absolutely dominate the AFC East and cruise their way to some impressive postseason runs. However, with Tom Brady now in Tampa Bay, life has been different.

With Cam Newton running the show, there was hope the veteran quarterback could bring some excitement to the offense and help them get back to the playoffs in 2020. That won’t be the case, as New England has officially been eliminated from postseason contention with Sunday’s loss to the Dolphins. 

New England has been eliminated from playoff contention

Indeed, the last time the Patriots didn’t make the postseason was all the way back in 2008. That was the season where Brady went down with his torn ACL. After that, the Patriots showcased time and time again how great they were, winning three Super Bowls.

Fast forward to 2020 and things just haven’t been the same for the AFC powerhouse. Newton looked great to start the year, but then his play has been incredibly inconsistent for weeks now. It got to the point where fans were calling for him to get benched and Bill Belichick even had to come out and say he wouldn’t make a change. There’s just no chance Newton can be the starter next year of the Pats want to get back to their old ways.

The Week 15 loss to Miami was yet another example of how badly south things have gone for the Pats this fall. In the 22-12 loss to the Dolphins, the New England offense simply couldn’t get into any kind of a rhythm and Newton was held to 209 passing yards.

Now, Patriots nation will have to watch the playoffs knowing their team will also be watching from home on their couches. It’s an awkward feeling, but you better believe New England haters everywhere are fired up right now and celebrating across the country.