By Bobby Mushkin
The New England Patriots have been the most dominant NFL team in the last twenty years. Six super bowls, nine Super Bowl appearances, seventeen AFC East titles, and the most wins in the last twenty seasons, their resume says it all.
But this year has been quite the opposite. Let us start with the obvious: Their franchise leader and greatest quarterback in the history of the NFL is gone. Tom Brady left and now plays for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. That is a huge deal, and we can’t expect them to be the same powerhouse that they have been, but for some reason, the expectations were still sky high.
With the acquisition of former MVP Cam Newton, a stout defense, and an all-time great coach Bill Belichick, people still had the Pats winning the division. But with their last loss Sunday to the Buffalo Bills, they sit at 2-5, third in the AFC East, ahead of only the 0-8 New York Jets. That’s a tough pill to swallow for Pats fans, so let’s move onto the positives for the team.
What’s good in New England?
Although they lost in a gut wrenching fashion Sunday, there were many positives to draw from in that game. The offense moved the ball quite well. They scored touchdowns on two consecutive drives for the first time this season. They ran the ball well, and Cam was limited to just one turnover. That turnover happened to lose them the game, but positive strides were made on both sides of the ball.
They held an impressive Bills passing attack to 154 yards and only 24 points. Second year running back Damien Harris ran for an astounding 102 yards on just 15 carries, including a 24 yard score in the third quarter.
All in all, the Patriots have a lot going for them, besides their record. They have pieces on the defensive end that many teams wish they had. Former defensive MVP Stephan Gilmore, his running mate J.C Jackson, twin brothers Devin and Jason Mccourty, and second year player Chase Winovich have all been impressive as usual. Their offensive line and run game have been better than ever this season, and once again, they have BILL BELICHICK. They have the ability to be very good, they just have some gaping issues that need to be addressed.
Gaping issues
OK, I gave them credit where credit was due, but they are 2-5, so something has to be wrong. And oh boy is there something wrong. Firstly, they are 30th in the league in rush defense. That is very bad. If you get behind the chains by allowing solid first down runs, it sets your defense up for failure. To show how bad they really are against the run, they allowed 190 rushing yards to the 29th ranked rushing attack in the Bills. That is really bad.
But it’s not just the defense that has issues, it’s the offense that is really bad. They are 29th in points, 29th in passing yards, 24th in total yards, dead last at 32nd in passing touchdowns, 30th in pass completions, and 30th in interceptions. Quarterback Cam Newton has 2 total passing touchdowns to 7 total interceptions. In other words, they cannot throw the ball to save their lives.
The modern NFL is a pass heavy game. If you look at all the teams who are at the top of the league, they have elite passing attacks. You cannot expect to win consistently when you can’t pass the ball, and until that is addressed, the Pats will keep losing heartbreaking games.
What can be done?
The Patriots can return to the hierarchy of the league, and they can do it soon. They just need to do a few things this offseason that will severely increase their shot of winning football games. First and foremost, draft a franchise quarterback. Tom is gone, and the Cam Newton experiment hasn’t exactly panned out. They need a new face of the franchise, someone who can throw the ball at a high level, someone young, and someone fresh.
Secondly, they need to add a weapon in the passing game. You can’t expect your quarterback to win many games for you if he has nobody to throw the ball too. This year, the Pats have had very little help from their receivers, and with Julian Edelman getting older, it might be time to start looking for big name receivers.
And lastly, build a better defensive line. They need to pressure the quarterback and stop the run better. If they can’t do that, eventually their man coverage will give up and receivers will get open. Their defense can be one of the best if they can build a stout defensive line.
All in all, the Patriots have some serious work to do in the coming months, and with a matchup looming against the 0-8 Jets, if they aren’t careful they might just suffer their most embarrassing defeat to this day. All I have to say is good luck New England, we are all counting on you.
