We knew it would be this way this past week. The vultures are circling, ready to pick apart the New England Patriots carcas and scoop up head coach Bill Belichick and carry him out of town.

You know how it works. Unnamed sources close to whomever, then former Patriot greats from the dynasty years chiming in. Hey, don’t get us wrong, it’s not like their words aren’t without merit and the stories aren’t without some validity.

But that’s how it works, especially when you lose back to back weeks by a total score of 72-3. The ship is perceived to be sinking, and it springs leaks all over.

That’s why for the Patriots and Belichick, today’s game at Las Vegas is a must win, and it’s ironic that it’s against a former confidant who has had his former boss’s number the couple of times they’ve met, last year by a ridiculous fluke play. Ironically the guy who started that is now a Raider and seems to have become the poster child for all that is wrong with the player moves that Belichick has made.

There’s only one way to silence the critics, and that’s to win. The other failure, that of the quarterback, Mac Jones, has also prompted all sorts of doom and gloom. They’re not wrong. Jones has had a two-week meltdown and if he doesn’t recover on Sunday, he and his head coach will all but guarantee they won’t be back after this season, one would think.

Why? Because after today, the Patriots have Buffalo at Gillette and then head south for a rare late October visit to South Beach (usually that’s in December, right?). They could be 1-7 heading into November. That’s not exactly what owner Robert Kraft had in mind when he said he wanted to end the playoff victory drought this year.

We’ve seen this before, and some Patriots fans that go way back may remember it. In 1994, the Patriots under a guy named Bill Parcells made the playoffs and lost to a team coached by a guy named Belichick.

The next year was a disaster for both; Belichick’s Browns went 5-11, were moving to Baltimore and he was axed. The Patriots went 6-10 and in the draft that spring Parcells was overuled by owner Robert Kraft and personnel man Bobby Grier, who chose wide receiver Terry Glenn. It was the beginning of the end of Parcells in New England, despite taking the Patriots to the Super Bowl that following season.

Kraft will no doubt try to figure out a way to strip Belichick of personnel power despite the fact it’s probably in his contract. Who knows. All we know is the next three months won’t be pretty and will have plenty of drama that we in the media will be more than happy to unfold.

Meanwhile, we’re more than happy to tell you this week’s picks after a bad 4-3 week:

PATRIOTS 17, RAIDERS 16

Oh this is just too tough to call. Belichick just can’t seem to beat McDaniels, and if you heard the noice on Monday Night Football from Cheeseheads, this may feel like a Patriots home game as thousands of Patriot fans have used this as a getwaway destination. Will it help? Can’t hurt, although it certainly didn’t matter last week.

RAVENS 23, TITANS 17

Baltimore needs a bounce-back win, and the Titans are such a hard team to figure. Lamar Jackson can make a difference in this one, but it should be close. Remember,another London game, so rise and shine and flip on the TV. Beats Breakfast at Wimbledon, right?

COLTS 27, JAGUARS 24

Upset special. Jacksonville is back in Florida, but they really need to call London home, right? Gardner Minshew gets the start and plays against his former team. Rock star. Winning QB in this one.

COMMANDERS 27, FALCONS 17

What the heck happened to the Commanders at home last Thursday night vs. Da Bears? They’ve had a long time to think about it, and that’s bad news for the Falcons.

LIONS 30, BUCS 13

Sorry Baker Mayfield. This Lions team is on a mission, and you’re in the darn way. Detroit will win the NFC North, that’s for sure, and who knows, maybe the Bucs can win the South – with a sub-.500 record.

SEAHAWKS 24,BENGALS 21

This could be one of the best games of a not so great weekend. Defensively, Seattle is above average, and Pete Carroll’s crew is coming off a bye week so will be well rested to deal with Cincy’s Joe Burrow. Bengals finally looked like themselves last week but hey, it was against Arizona.

COWBOYS 34, CHARGERS 23

Up and down they go, when they stop, we all know it will be in Dallas’ favor. While the Cowboys aren’t in San Francisco’s class, the Chargers aren’t in Dallas’ class. But boy, bottle up these two head coaches and set it afloat.

LAST WEEK: 4-3

SEASON RECORD: 24-11

Tom King may be reached at tking@nashuatelegraph.com. Also, follow King on Twitter (@Telegraph_TomK).

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