Red-area woes continue to leave Patriots' offense feeling blue

FOXBOROUGH — The Patriots' offense continues to leave an awful lot of points on the field.

New England was just 1-for-4 in the red zone Sunday against the Chargers, and is now 3-for-9 combined in its last two games when it comes to overall red-zone efficiency. (That doesn't even include three straight drives on Sunday that ended at the Los Angeles 25-yard line, which is considered the high red zone by NFL teams and viewed as an extension of the regular red zone.)

On Sunday, the Patriots entered this game 16th in the NFL with a red-zone touchdown percentage of 53.3 (they finished 10th, fourth and fifth the previous three seasons). Despite the win, those numbers will continue to trend in the wrong direction as a result of what happened against the Chargers.



“We’re obviously not doing a very good job in that area and that’s something we have to do better at,” Bill Belichick said after the game. “No question about it.”

Quarterback Tom Brady has talked about the red-zone issues several times over the last week-plus, and so, after Sunday’s game, he wearily seemed to anticipate the question again.

“We didn’t finish them off,” shrugged Brady when asked about the drives that fell short of the end zone. “I think we just have to do a better job of that. I know I’ve said that about 100 times this year, but it’s tough. I mean, we’re trying. It’s just the execution is coming up a little short in critical times.”

On Sunday, the Patriots had several opportunities to really close out the Chargers throughout the second half. Holding a double-digit lead, they had plenty of chances — including two drives that stalled out inside the Los Angeles’ 10-yard line where they settled for field goals.

On a rainy afternoon at home against a young team like the Chargers, field goals were enough to provide the difference. But the offense is aware of the fact that settling for three when seven is a possibility won’t do when the margin for error narrows against an elite opponent on the road.

“We have to be able to score,” said wide receiver Danny Amendola. “We have to find a way to punch the ball in and get six points on the board, and go from there. We have to give our team the best chance to win.”