As postseason looms, questions remain about state of Patriots' offense

In the wake of another subpar performance on Sunday against the Steelers, we have five leftover questions for the New England offense.

1. What's happened to James White the last two games?



The Patriots fancy themselves as a week-to-week, game-plan team, but White has been minimized the last two games with a combined 13 touches (seven catches, six carries) in two losses. That’s after a midseason stretch where he distinguished himself as the team MVP — there was a five-game stretch between late-September and late-October where he averaged just over 15 touches a game. On Sunday against the Steelers, he caught five passes to push his 2018 total to 81 receptions, the most by a New England running back in a single season. He also had 25 receiving yards to push his 2018 total to 699, the most by a Patriots running back in a single season. He was asked after the game about his recent dip in production, and he shrugged it off. In my experience, it's not the only reason behind the losses, but it isn't completely coincidental. One thing? New England could be trying to keep him on a pitch count in advance of the postseason — he has 163 touches after 13 games (81 catches, 82 carries) after never having more than 99 in a single season.

2. What’s with all the penalties along the offensive line?

This was a group that was holding up really nicely when it came to avoiding penalties … and then, the Jets game happened on Nov. 25. That one seemed to be the turning point for a group that has seen plenty of flags since then. After being hit with just one penalty over the first 10 games, Trent Brown has been flagged three times in the last four games, including twice against the Steelers. Joe Thuney had two penalties over the first 10 weeks, but three in the last four games. Marcus Cannon has now had three in the last two weeks, including a false start and holding on Sunday against Pittsburgh. For what it’s worth, Tom Brady said after the game the officials told him they were “trying to call (holding) tighter.” Ultimately, the offensive line struggled in the face of the Steelers’ pressure several times on Sunday, but the penalties also contributed to one of their least memorable games of the season. As the playoffs near and the margin for error gets thinner, it's something that needs to be addressed moving forward.