The Patriots were only good in the second half, while the Broncos were only good in the first two quarters

It’s unheard of for Bill Belichick and Sean Payton to both go winless in two games. In fact, this is Belichick’s lowest point since 2001, when Tom Brady was just a twinkle in his eye. Both trainers are masters of their craft and strong perfectionists. Unfortunately, their respective teams would only be among the The best league this season if games were 30 minutes long.

Payton’s rep — an offensive guru who won a Super Bowl and ran top-10 offenses as efficiently as anyone not named Andy Reid — is still intact. Belichick is arguably the greatest defensive player in history and the league’s preeminent coach, having won six Super Bowls with Brady running the Pats’ offense.

This year is between the two one combined Elite team. For the Patriots, naps are the first half. In Denver’s case, they nodded off after halftime. In the first half, Denver is the fifth best player in the league Offense. In the second half they are in 26th place. In contrast, the Patriots rank 27th in first-half scoring defense and are in the top 10 Unit in points allowed when the second half is underway.

Once again the Broncos are The record in games decided by one possession is abysmal, but there are reasons for blind optimism. Russell Wilson’s Hail Mary wouldn’t have been necessary if the Broncos’ offense had stayed alert in the second half. Once the shock value wears off, teams seem to quickly adjust to Payton’s game plan.

Wilson used to be crunch time quarterback. Not only is he a slower runner, but he resembles DangerRuss in the first 30 minutes and a quarterback in the sunset after the break. He will give you everything, but as the sun sets he turns into your grandpa as he declares, “HWe don’t have the energy that he used to have.”

Here are Russ’ First half splits vs. the second half this season.

In the first half, DangerRuss pushed the defense to 279 yards while completing 85 percent of his attempts, throwing four touchdowns and no interceptions. He’s done in the second half. His completion percentage drops by 30 points, his touchdown-to-interception ratio is one to one, and his second half The passer rating is 80 points lower. Wilson’s second half The scoring is boosted by a lucky Hail Mary tip in the end zone on Sunday.

Meanwhile, the Patriots were lethal killers with their halftime adjustments. Belichick’s Pats are 0-2 for the first time in 22 years, but two weeks in a row they have shut down two of the NFL’s most exciting offenses after halftime. The problem from the start was burying yourself in these holes.

In Week 1, the Patriots went 16-0 out of halftime. In the second half, New England forced several turnovers, kept Philadelphia out of the end zone and cut the score to four, but their final drive failed at the Eagles 20.

The Patriots did it again in their Sunday Night Football duel with the Miami Dolphins. Miami led 17-3 with Tua Tagovailoa completing the second round. Tagovailoa tore apart Belichick’s defense in the first half, but after halftime the Dark Lord of football proved he still had it. Miami wasn’t in the clear until lineman Cole Strange was inches away from first play with a minute left on fourth down.

Last year my colleague/Agree to disagree traffic cone Eric Blum and I had this novel but completely unrealistic idea that the NFL should experiment with teams hiring two head coaches, separating them completely and Have someone randomly coach the first half and completely change the tenor or second half of the games. If there were ever two trainers who would be the ideal social experiment to run this, it would be these two weirdos. Payton thinks he’s a jump scare Coach who tends to attack opposing teams with onside kicks and shaky calls before they even know what hit them. He knows it too

They are also both Acolytes by Bill Parcells. When Belichick’s 2nd Half Pats and Payton’s First Half Broncos meet on Christmas Day, there’s no telling how this chemical reaction will mix, but if this trend continues, they should consider a coaching merger together. Meanwhile, Payton will be on the right track with the Broncos if he can configure Wilson’s light to stay on for 60 minutes, instead of the 30 minutes he’s currently allotted. Belichick’s teams played possum in the first half and came back with renewed vigor in the second half. These two teams aren’t completely inept, Voltroning aside. Both of these coaching staffs and teams need to assess what will cause them to disappear for entire halves before this season spirals out of control.

Follow DJ Dunson on X:@Brain sportsex