This season has been complete hell for the New England Patriots. After a disappointing 2022 season, fans expected the team to be better, or at least stay on the same level this season. Well, New England regressed mightily in 2023. It eventually led to the Patriots being eliminated early with three weeks left in the season.

Ahead of their game against the Denver Broncos, the Patriots ruled out two of their key offensive weapons. WR Juju Smith-Schuster and RB Rhamondre Stevenson have been ruled out for their Week 16 game, per Adam Schefter. In addition, safety Jabrill Peppers has also been ruled out.

“The three players the Patriots are listing as out for Sunday night’s game in Denver:

🏈RB Rhamondre Stevenson, Ankle
🏈WR JuJu Smith-Schuster, Ankle
🏈S Jabrill Peppers, Hamstring”

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The Patriots' woes this season are thanks in large part to their struggles on offense. Their abysmal offense in 2022 somehow became even worse. It sunk to depths we never imagined, even after Matt Patricia was relieved of his offensive playcalling duties. Smith-Schuster's usage, in particular. is a massive talking point. After the Pats acquired the former Pittsburgh WR, his usage and production has taken a significant drop.

The Pats are now looking to turn around and look towards rebuilding for the 2024 season. Their first order of business is likely going to be looking for a new quarterback. Mac Jones has regressed massively, and Bailey Zappe is, well, performing as you'd expect from a Day 3 pick. With a bevy of options in the 2024 draft, expect the rebuild of the Patriots to start immediately. For now, though… New England is looking to play spoiler against a Broncos team desperately trying to keep their playoff hopes alive.