The New England Patriots have the best coach and quarterback of all-time. They have a great defense. They also have an albatross in their offense.
Tom Brady is the greatest quarterback to ever live. This season, he’s paired with the best defense in football.
Bill Belichick is the greatest coach to ever live. He’s paired with both Brady and said defense.
If the offense doesn’t find a magical elixir before the playoffs, none of it will be enough.
Through 10 games, New England is 9-1. It’s tops in most defensive categories and has the inside track to home-field advantage throughout the AFC playoffs. The division title is a certainty, as is a first-round bye. On the surface, everything is great.
Yet underneath are the warning signs of an early playoff exit. For all the brilliance of Belichick and offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels, they haven’t found the slightest solution to the offensive malaise in Foxborough.
In Week 9, the Patriots finally played a good team in the Baltimore Ravens. They scored 20 points, with 10 coming from turnovers deep in Baltimore territory. New England was battered in defeat, 37-20.
Last Sunday, the Patriots played a middling Philadelphia Eagles team. They won 17-14, benefitting from a turnover in Philadelphia’s end (turned into three points) and a Julian Edelman touchdown pass. Add two more field goals, and there’s the total offensive output.
Come the playoffs, New England needs more.
Brady is 42 years old and looking his age. The quick throwaways are piling up. The darts into the dirt before he can be hit are becoming more prevalent. The numbers show a quarterback searching. He’s thrown for 2,752 yards and 14 touchdowns with five interceptions. It’s not awful, but it doesn’t approach elite.
However, those figures aren’t far off from last year’s pace. Through 10 games in 2018, Brady amassed 2,748 yards with 17 touchdowns and seven interceptions.
The biggest difference? New England can’t run the ball.
This year, the Patriots have rushed for 910 yards on 3.3 yards per carry. The only team with a lower YPC? The Miami Dolphins. They also lack a single 100-yard back in any game.
Last season at this juncture, New England had gained 1,085 rushing yards on 3.9 YPA.
What changed? Without Josh Gordon, the Patriots can’t stretch the field. Opponents can crowd the box and dare Brady to throw long. The offensive line has also been without left tackle Isaiah Wynn. Wynn’s replacement, Marshall Newhouse, has struggled mightily.
However, the biggest difference is the loss of fullback James Develin.
Develin went on Injured Reserve after injuring his neck in Week 2 against the Dolphins and won’t return this year. Few teams use a fullback more than New England, and Develin is top-notch. Losing him has been a source of frustration for Belichick, who has attempted to replace him with no success.
Sans Develin and an elite offensive line, the Patriots can’t run effectively.
With the playoffs looming, the Patriots know they’re in trouble. The evidence is everywhere, ranging from the clear overpay of a second-round pick for Mahomed Sanu to reportedly being open to a reunion with the mercurial Antonio Brown. Brown’s attitude is everything Belichick avoids in New England, and yet the talent is tantalizing more so than ever.
Why? Because this year it’s a need, not a luxury.
Still, for those in New England dreaming of Brown, they ought to stop. If any team signed Brown before the conclusion of the NFL’s investigation into him, he would surely be placed on the commissioner’s exempt list. In short, the team would basically be donating money to Brown.
New England likely possesses all the talent it will have available come January. With it, the Patriots need to dispose of the Ravens and Kansas City Chiefs, the only AFC foes who matter.
With their current offensive machine, beating either will be a tall order. Even for the best ever.