The New England Patriots missed the playoffs for the first time since 2008, a clear indicator that they missed their former quarterback, Tom Brady. Aside from their quarterback troubles, there were many things that didn’t go the Patriots’ way this past season, as well as some good things that worked out in their favor.
We’re going to dive into that and other Patriots notes here.
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Cam Newton has to be better for the Patriots
Newton’s lackluster play isn’t even the elephant in the room anymore, at this point it is the room. There is a reason why the quarterback position is usually the highest-paid position on an NFL roster. Quarterback mask when other things aren’t going well. The Seahawks offensive line has been subpar for years, but because of Russell Wilson’s escapability, it isn’t as talked about as much as it should be. The Patriots receivers aren’t the same elite group that they have been in years past, but it wasn’t stressed because Brady is Brady.
Newton wasn’t able to be a band-aid for the Patriots’ problems and, in turn, their wound got infected. He ranked last among 35 qualifying quarterbacks with 177.1 passing yards per game, 34th with eight touchdown passes, 18th with a 65.8 completion percentage, and 28th with an 82.9 passer rating.
What Newton did do well for the Patriots, which doesn’t come as much of a surprise, was his rushing yardage. He made up for his underwhelming arm by ranking third among quarterbacks with 592 rushing yards and first with 12 touchdowns.
Still, the Patriots were too easy to defend in the red zone without the threat of a passing touchdown.
In the end, Patriots quarterbacks had 10 passing touchdowns this season– the worst mark in franchise history.
The Patriots have not decided whether or not to go forward with or drop Newton. Granted, they have many decisions to make that may be placed in higher importance than what to do with the former MVP. With two and a half months until the start of free agency, there’s no reason for the Patriots to rush to a decision with Newton or anyone else.
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The Patriots must reestablish a passing game
This season’s Patriots were a team that relied on their run game in order to be an efficient offense. New England finished third in the NFL in expected points added per rushing attempt. Yet they rank just 25th in EPA per play because they rank 28th in EPA per pass play. To summarize, an elite run game– according to the numbers– can't help anchor a good offense alone.
The Newton-centered Patriots running game accounted for 176 carries, 816 yards and 12 touchdowns. Proportionately, that accounted for 35.1% of their 502 carries, 34.8% of their 2,346 rushing yards, and 60% of their 20 rushing touchdowns.
Opposing defenses saw this trend and adapted accordingly, frequently deploying single-high safety defenses when facing Belichick’s Patriots. Dropping a defender to the second level with just one safety deep does two things: defends the run and takes away short routes– an option the New England used a crutch.
Until the Patriots reestablish their run game, single-high coverage will be the easy to draw up blueprint to stopping New England.
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Trick plays actually worked
Josh McDaniels has been subjected to plenty of criticism this past season– deservingly, considering he is the mastermind behind the league’s worst offense. One thing that did go well for McDaniels and the Patriots was trick plays.
His design and timing were elite for the Patriots. In their second to last game of the season, it was a trick play that served as a game-swinging strike from Jakobi Meyers to Newton.
Even in their Week 16 matchup against the Bills, the Patriots found some success with their trick plays, Byrd dropping what would’ve been another big gain. In their October loss to Denver, Julian Edellman had two completions that pushed the New England out of a rather stagnant drive.
Considering this year’s roster didn’t show the ability to make consistent plays on offense, McDaniels could’ve been more aggressive with his creativity for the Patriots– especially since they found success when running trick plays.
If the offense continues to lack the ability to make air plays, this will have to be an option for New England next season.
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Sony Michel needs a bigger role
Sony Michel hadn’t carried the ball more than 10 times in any game until the Patriots’ final game of the season.
Coming off a back to back solid performances against the Dolphins and Bills that netted 143 yards on 20 totes, he was especially effective in their final game against the Jets– rushing for 76 yards. He also added three catches, including a 31-yard swing-and-scamper score, working against the narrative that the Patriots are an overly predictable run-heavy team.
Considering Michel’s performance in conjunction with his earlier-season flashes, he’s at least provided some reassurance that he belongs — on both the roster and in New England’s running back rotation.
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This is one of the Patriots' most important drafts ever
The win against the Jets most likely took the Patriots out of range for one of the high-end offensive prospects, but they were going to need to trade up for one of those quarterbacks regardless of their final game’s outcome.
If the Patriots want to use that pick on offense, they’ll have to figure out if receivers such as Florida’s Kadarius Toney, LSU’s Terrace Marshall Jr., Purdue’s Rondale Moore, Minnesota’s Rashod Bateman or Ohio State’s Chris Olave will even be available at No. 15 and is the right time.
More likely than not, New England will have to use that pick for defensive purposes. At No. 15 they will likely have to look at pass rushers like Michigan’s Kwity Paye, Georgia’s Azeez Ojulari or Miami’s Gregory Rousseau. Another option could be Northwestern tackle Rashawn Slater or Virginia Tech tackle Christian Darrisaw.
Also, they can look to trade up. Again, the quarterback masks holes within a team– and right now they are in desperate need of a mask. Trevor Lawrence will likely still go first to the Jaguars. After what Justin Fields did to Clemson, he should be in the conversation– along with Wilson– for the No. 2 pick to the Jets. The rest of the teams with top 10 picks aren’t QB-needy. The Dolphins have two pretty good options under center, while the Falcons, Bengals, Eagles, Cowboys, Lions, and Panthers are pretty committed to their quarterbacks. Out of that group, the Lions, with the No. 7 pick, would be the best bet to trade down.
The Patriots will likely have to give up their No. 15 pick and their 2022 first-rounder. Once they trade up, they have to hope that Trey Lance drops to No.7.