The New England Patriots lost their season in dramatic fashion to an incredibly motivated Bills team. Ending the year going below .500 at 8-9, they had much steeper goals in mind. There were an incredible amount of ups and downs, and the season is in need of an outright review.
The Goods
When it came to the run on either side of the ball, the Patriots excelled. The offensive rushing attack led by Rhamondre Stevenson is their strongest point. Although the team did not rack up a great number of yards, 1500 and 8 touchdowns were obtained by just Damien Harris and Rhamondre Stevenson.
Stevenson himself had 1000 yards and 5 touchdowns, with two of the best rushing performances of the year with 161 and 172 yards. In the receiving game, he was always effective with over 400 yards and 1 touchdown.
On defense, the Patriots were just as good. Ranking 7th in total rushing yards allowed, their team worked well in the box. However, their pass defense was not terrible in any regard, No. 3 in the league in team interceptions (20) and sacks (54).
Their defensive star was far and away the best on the team, that star being Matthew Judon. Having a career season, he ended the year with 15.5 sacks and 60 total tackles. He also had 2 forced fumbles on the season, the third time in his career.
The Bads
There is a lot of bad going on the Patriots, and the team needs a drastic change in order to get back to the playoffs. Their biggest overall flaw was their offensive playcalling, with Matt Patricia being a waste of space on that end of the sport.
The quick game and constant rushing in the worst possible scenarios are almost impossible to fathom, and they should be left in the past. He should be stripped of his title and should go be a head coach in college.
Mac Jones did not play well, but we cannot put the blame on either him or Patricia. He may play well once Patricia is gone, but as of now, we have nothing to prove who is guilty. The offense, especially passing, was horrendous.
On defense, as much as they made big plays, they gave up just as many. Although they have 20 interceptions, they gave up the 6th most passing touchdowns with 28. The team was not in sync and many mistakes were made which came into play on the defensive end of the ball.
Consistency was their biggest concern, with injuries in a close second. Even when healthy, they cannot string together consistent drives. Mac Jones either looks serviceable or benchable, and you can hear a string of MVP chants for Jones followed by Zappe chants in the course of a single game. Whether it be the Belichick boys or Patricia, something is going wrong in New England, and it needs to be solved.
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