The New England Patriots have had an extremely challenging season and their playoff hopes have officially come to an end as they’ve been mathematically eliminated from contention. It’s been a disastrous year for the Patriots with numerous issues plaguing the team. Several key factors contributed to the Patriots missing out on the playoffs this season, but three stand out.
3. The Patriots never recovered with Judon and Gonzalez getting hurt
The Patriots’ defense was their strong suit during their playoff runs in the post-Tom Brady era. Unfortunately, this season, that defense has regressed and faced numerous injuries. The team struggled immensely after losing two key players, DE/EDGE Matthew Judon and CB Christian Gonzalez, to injured reserve. Their absence significantly impacted the pass rush and secondary, revealing the lack of depth in both the roster and the defensive unit\
2. Does New England have any consistently good receivers?
Assessing New England’s offensive weapons, while they have solid running backs on the roster, the receiving core is a concern. Kendrick Bourne, DeVante Parker, and Kayshon Boutte struggle with injuries, impacting their availability. Matthew Slater, primarily a special teams player, hasn’t contributed significantly on offense. JuJu Smith-Schuster’s performance hasn’t been the same since his departure from the Pittsburgh Steelers. Jalen Reagor, surprisingly still in the league, has underperformed since entering (Howie Roseman’s decision to pick Jalen Reagor over Justin Jefferson remains puzzling). Tyquan Thorton is a scrub and was drafted way too early.
Even the tight ends have faced issues; Hunter Henry’s either struggling to stay healthy or is inconsistent, and Mike Gesicki’s limited involvement in the offense.
On a brighter note, Demario Douglas has shown promise this season and holds potential for the team’s future, given continued development. However, the inconsistency in the receiving corps has been evident, partially attributable to the struggles in quarterback play. Speaking of which…
1.The Quarterback Play is Terrible
It’s evident that the Patriots are currently lacking a long-term franchise quarterback. Mac Jones has undergone a significant regression, to the extent that his arm strength appears compromised, leading to some of the league’s poorest throws. Additionally, Bailey Zappe hasn’t performed well this season. It’s clear that neither is the solution for the long haul. Many Patriots fans are even advocating for Malik Cunningham to take over. It begs the question: why aren’t the Patriots giving Malik Cunningham an opportunity to showcase his passing skills? Despite being an undrafted rookie, why not offer him a chance to demonstrate his potential? The season seems to be heading nowhere, so why not explore this option?. Well it is too late now as the Baltimore Ravens decided to sign him off of the practice squad. In the NFL, you can’t have a good offense without having a competent quarterback play and the Patriots clearly don’t have that.
Where do the Patriots go from here?
It’s clear that the Patriots should consider tanking the season to secure a top pick in the draft, especially in a year where there are several talented quarterbacks available like Caleb Williams, Drake Maye, Bo Nix, Michael Penix, J.J. McCarthy, and more. Acquiring a franchise quarterback should be their first step.
Now, it’s intriguing to speculate about Bill Belichick’s future, considering there’s a possibility that the New England Patriots might part ways with him as the GM/Head Coach. This is something nobody could have imagined happening years ago. The Patriots are likely to undergo significant changes next year, and it’ll be interesting to see how they move forward from this point.
