The New England Patriots looked bad in their Week 1 loss to the Miami Dolphins.
New England is starting their first season since 2012 without offensive coordinator, Josh McDaniels.
That seems to be a bigger loss than previously anticipated.
The offense looked inept in Week 1, not only did Mac Jones play poorly but the lack of weapons was obvious.
Damien Harris and Rhamondre Stevenson give the Patriots a good running back corp.
But, you have to throw the ball successfully to win in this league.
Jakobi Meyers, Kendrick Bourne, and Nelson Agholor do not strike fear into opposing defenses.
That means teams can load the box to stuff the run and force Jones to try and beat them.
Even Aaron Rodgers looked bad last week without top-tier receiving options.
The Patriots will have to be more creative on offense to avoid another abysmal showing.
Jones ended up completing 21 of 30 passes for 213 yards and one touchdown with one interception.
The Patriots were only able to muster up seven points on offense and they put no fear into the Dolphins’ defense.
Part of the reason for their offensive troubles could be Matt Patricia calling the plays.
Patricia has been a defensive coach his whole career and now is tasked with being an offensive play caller.
Now with their record at 0-1, the Patriots are faced with a must-win game on the road.
Mac Jones had 6 road wins as a rookie last season
No rookie QB in NFL history has ever had more@MacJones_10 | @Patriots pic.twitter.com/ddEajZ0Kex
— NFL on CBS 🏈 (@NFLonCBS) September 8, 2022
They have to face a Steelers team that just pulled off an upset over the Cincinnati Bengals.
More than likely this game will be a low-scoring defensive battle.
Both offenses are bad but their defenses have carried these teams for years.
Tough Road Ahead
The Patriots have to face the Ravens and Packers in weeks three and four.
Those games will be very difficult for New England to win.
So if they can not beat the Steelers they will be 0-2 heading into a difficult stretch of games.
Or else New England may be looking at one of their worst seasons over the past two decades.
Back in 2000, the Patriots won five games.
They might be looking at a similar fate if they do not improve their offense.
After making the playoffs last year with a 10-7 record it seems like New England did nothing to improve this year.
They still have to play in the AFC East where they look like the third-best team.
It is just hard to find a way for this team to have another double-digit win season due to their roster limitations.
The best thing going for them is that they still have Bill Belichick.
Analyzing Pittsburgh’s defense.
BB previews the Steelers on the Belestrator. pic.twitter.com/PUUAfdDmqm
— New England Patriots (@Patriots) September 15, 2022
He is an elite head coach who can get the best out of his players.
The New England defense will have to be elite all season if they wish to contend.
Overall, the roster limitations seem like they will be too much to overcome for the Patriots.
But, if they have any hope of of a successful season they can not fall to 0-2.
This Sunday’s game in Pittsburgh is a huge one and it will be interesting to see how the Pats respond.
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