Going into the year, people were wondering what the New England Patriots were going to be. Were they going to be a playoff team? Were they going to miss the playoffs? Will Jarrett Stidham be able to lead this team as a second year quarterback?

All of that seemed to change for the better with signing of former MVP quarterback, Cam Newton. Not many thought he would have the impact on the Patriots offense that he has had in the first three weeks, but he has truly convinced some doubters that he can still be an elite quarterback in the NFL.

Adding on to the Newton factor, the Patriots are doing something that we aren’t usually accustomed to seeing and that is leading the entire NFL in rushing yards. As of right now, Sony Michel is leading the team in rushing yards with 173 yards, but Newton is only trailing Michel by 24 yards on the ground with 149.

Their passing game hasn’t been too shabby either, thus far. Newton’s 397 yard passing performance against what is arguably the best team in the league, the Seattle Seahawks, proved that this Patriots team can still have a solid passing attack against some of the best defenses. Wide receiver Julian Edelman is also on track to have yet another career year despite being without his old buddy, Tom Brady. So far Edelman has 259 receiving yards while also putting up a career high for receiving yards in a single game with 179 yards in week two.

The Patriots defense has also stepped up and has been playing like one of the best defenses in the league through three weeks. As of right now, the Patriots lead the NFL in total takeaways with seven takeaways. They are also doing this while being without defensive leaders like Dont’a Hightower and Patrick Chung, which shows how the small infusion of youth is really making a positive impact on this Patriots defense.

The only real pressing issue this team is facing right now is in the kicking game. The Patriots kicker, Nick Folk, has yet to go a single game without missing a field goal. So far Folk has left a total of seven points off the board with missed field goals. It has already shown that it can be the difference between winning and losing. In week two against the Seahawks, the Patriots were stopped at the goal line while only down five points to lose the game. However, if Folk had made a 51 yard field goal right before halftime, the Patriots would have had a chip shot at the end of the game to win by one. Now, obviously a 51 yard field goal is not an easy kick for any kicker, but this kick missed way left and that could be concerning for the Patriots overall trust in Folk with future field goal attempts.

At the end of the day, the Patriots are off to a decent 2–1 start. They will be tested to the max this week as they will have to play the defending Super Bowl champion, Kansas City Chiefs. The Pats will have to be firing on all cylinders if they are going to take down the Chiefs at Arrowhead stadium this Sunday. With the toughest part of the schedule coming up for the Pats, they will have the opportunity to put the NFL on notice this week with a win in Arrowhead.