Patriots Points: Wild Card Fireworks Highlight Offensive Woes
After the NFL's wild Wild Card weekend, the New England Patriots' worst fears are confirmed:
Their 2022 offense was nowhere near playoff caliber.
Every winning team in the first five games of the postseason scored at least 24 points, and four topped 30. San Francisco 49ers: 41. Buffalo Bills: 34. Jacksonville Jaguars: 31. New York Giants: 31. Cincinnati Bengals: 24 (though, granted, they did need a 98-yard fumble return by their defense).
Average winning score: 32.2 points.
How many times did the Patriots score 30 points this season? 1.
That rare occurrence came mid-October in Week 6, when rookie fill-in quarterback Bailey Zappe threw for 309 yards, co-rookie Tyquan Thornton scored touchdowns both rushing and receiving, and the Pats erupted for a season-high 38 points in a rout at Cleveland.
Otherwise, the offensive misfires were consistently to blame for a disappointing 8-9 season that forced New England to merely sit home last weekend and watch the fireworks.
The good news: Owner Robert Kraft and coach Bill Belichick are on the same page acknowledging the culprit. The team is ditching its one-year blunder of having defensive-minded assistant Matt Patricia calls plays, and is commencing a search for a legitimate offensive coordinator.
The troubling trend must be reversed.
New England's offense scored 17 fewer touchdowns in 2022 (31) than in 2021 (48). Its yards plummeted from 350 per game to 314. And - even with an NFL-leading eight touchdowns scored by the defense and special teams - its points per game shrank from 26 to 21.
“The blame's on me," said quarterback Mac Jones, who drastically regressed from his Pro Bowl rookie season. "It's my offense, it's my group of guys. I learned more than I ever could have imagined in a football season."
The new offensive coordinator must boost Jones' sagging confidence and find ways to more utilize the speed of Thornton, the versatility of All-Pro Marcus Jones and not have a running back (Rhamondre Stevenson) be the team's leading receiver.
The hard lesson: The Patriots need an extreme offensive makeover - and increased production - if they want to make the playoffs in 2023.
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