In the summer before the 2021-22 season the Patriots made an effort to upgrade their offensive attack, which was underwhelming last year with Cam Newton at the helm. Mac Jones was drafted and won the starting job before the first game. The team brought back offensive lineman Trent Brown, as well as welcoming back center David Andrews. The real changes were made at skill positions with the additions of proven receivers Nelson Agholar and Kendrick Bourne, as well as paying a high price for tight end Jonnu Smith and Hunter Henry.
With such an obvious emphasis on improving the talent of offensive skill players, an immediate and impactful difference was expected three games into the season. With players under-performing and some questionable coaching decisions, the Patriots offense has not been convincing nor successful. This past game against the Saints during week three displayed these issues for the team.
For starters, having a rookie QB means you can’t depend on him to carry an offense or go above and beyond the struggles that those around him have. Bellichick targeted tight end talent to mold back into the Patriots old offensive schemes with two tight ends. Their performance hasn’t lived up to the hype. Jonnu Smith had two huge drops, one leading to a Saints interception and return for six points. Another was a scramble by Jones in which he avoided pressure and tossed up a backfoot 30- yard lob to Smith that he very well should have caught. Henry was called for a massive false start penalty on a fourth and one inside the redzone, forcing the Patriots to kick a field goal in a spot they wanted to be aggressive.
While the tight ends haven’t lived up to expectations, neither has longtime coordinator Josh McDaniels. He has dealt with a fair share of injuries, including his starting tackle Trent Brown and a dinged-up running back room. Aside from these injuries, McDaniels has made some questionable decisions as play caller this year.
One drive in particular during the Saints game highlighted this issue. The Patriots got the ball with around 11 minutes left in the third and conducted a drive down the field for the next ten minutes of gametime. Jones was picking his spots nicely, completing 10/11 throws on the drive. However after picking up a first down in the red zone, the Patriots decided to run the ball on first and second down with fourth string running back Brandon Bolden, both carries resulting in a loss of one yard together. That set up a third and 11 in which McDaniels called a screen pass to Jonnu Smith that he caught behind the line of scrimmage and took about four yards.
The question is, why are you running on first and second down with your fourth stringer in the red zone? And even if he got a pass for that, why are you throwing a screen on third and 11 to a tight end who had played terribly for the whole game leading up to that point? That seemed like a good time to take a shot for the endzone, as the offense was consistently punting or kicking field goals. A screen behind the line of scrimmage at that spot on the field trying to pick up 11 yards is ambitious and not smart, a blunder for McDaniels in a big spot in the game.
While James White was hurt for the majority of this game and Damian Harris somehow was getting benched behind Brandon Bolden, McDaniels did a poor job of protecting his young QB. Jones threw 51 times, allowing the Saints to continually pressure the Patriots QB and anticipate throws before the play. No real rushing attack is to blame for this, as the Saints did not fear the Patriots play-action game. WHile injuries to their running backs and a beaten up offensive line contributed to the lack of versatility in this game, the play-calling of McDaniels did nothing to keep the Saints off-guard and on their heels.
Going forward the Patriots need their highly paid tight ends to perform and their playcalling, particularly in the red zone, to improve if they want their season to turn around. Scoring more points than the other team wins you the game, the Patriots need to figure out how to score points.
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