For the New England Patriots, snow games at Gillette Stadium are nothing new. There have been some memorable performances with the snowy backdrop over the years and in some people’s opinions, that is the way the game should be played.
In the 2023 regular-season finale against the New York Jets, that is exactly what occurred. Gillette Stadium was covered in snow as it accumulated throughout the game on the field. It was something that a few of the players were experiencing for the first time.
One of the players who had never taken part in a snow game was Patriots running back Ezekiel Elliott. Elliott spent the first seven seasons of his NFL career with the Dallas Cowboys, where even if it had snowed, they are in a closed-roof stadium.
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He went to high school in Missouri, where snow isn’t prevalent. But, he did attend college at Ohio State, where it is a bit surprising he didn’t have at least one snow game while playing in the Big 10.
Sunday marked his first one and it is fair to say that it didn’t live up to expectations. Elliott provided a funny quote when at his locker at the game, as playing in the snow isn’t all that its chalked up to be in his opinion.
“When I was younger, I always wanted to play a game in the snow. Then I play a game in the snow and was like, that kind of sucked,” Elliott said after the game.
As if playing in the snow wasn’t bad enough, the outcome sucked for Elliott and the Patriots as well. New England had yet another ugly performance on offense, losing 17-3. Elliott finished the game with 13 carries for 54 yards, adding five receptions for 27 yards.
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It would be easy to blame the bad weather conditions for their struggles, as seeing the ball on television was difficult at times. But, a struggling offense isn’t anything new in New England this year as this was the fifth time they failed to score a touchdown in a game this season.
It made their final record 4-13 on the season, as the only positive to come away from it was that the team locked in a top pick in the 2024 NFL Draft. With the loss, the Patriots will be in the NO. 3 spot, putting them in a position to address their glaring need at quarterback.
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