NFL Notebook: Have Patriots solved their biggest offensive weakness from 2018?

When you win the Super Bowl, as the Patriots did last season, any flaws you might have as a team are certainly minimal when it comes to the rest of the league. That's why you're the champions.

But it doesn't mean you are without weaknesses — or at last areas that could use some bolstering when it comes to a title defense.

For the Patriots, there is a very short list of things that could use some tweaking: some of Tom Brady's pocket actions under pressure, interior run defense, overall pressure on the quarterback and, with Rob Gronkowski's retirement, production from the tight end position.

If there was one glaring weakness on the 2018 Patriots, it was this: the passing game lacked explosive plays and playmakers, and it was perfectly illustrated in the Super Bowl against the Rams when the Patriots had all of three points midway through the fourth quarter. In the end, New England was able to find enough — three of the top four gainers through the air in the final 7:43 of the game — thanks to tweaks made by Josh McDaniels and great individual plays by Rob Gronkowski and Brady.

But, man, the Patriots really had to work hard get those big yards and play, and that was a constant theme throughout the season.

It was something that became apparent in the win over the Packers in November, when I wrote about the curious method of attack New England took — namely the number of "deceptive" plays and methods they used against what was a middling defense from Green Bay.



Some people didn't care for my opinion at the time, but after the season I was told by team sources that it was, in fact, spot-on. The Patriots just didn't feel they had enough playmakers for third down and in the red zone, and it was a problem all season.

The stats bear that out.

The Patriots finished 12th in the NFL with 54 passing plays of 20-plus yards. The previous season, the Patriots were second in the NFL with 63. Nine plays might not seem like a lot, but it is. It's not just the stats, either.

It's difficult to quantify, but many of the Patriots' big plays likely came from scheme — McDaniels doing his thing by setting up a defense with personnel and formation — and/or busts by the defense. There were very rarely plays that left you saying, "That guy just beat his man or made a play."

It's the reason the Patriots felt they had to gamble on a questionable character like Josh Gordon. And Brady wasn't just force-feeding Gordon to get him up to speed — his size and catch radius combination provided Brady one of the few "easy" places to go with the ball on third down, with Gronkowski obviously not his normal self, and Julian Edelman getting a lot of attention from defenses.

The bottom line was big plays in the passing game were lacking last season and the Patriots wanted to solve that in the offseason, according to team sources. And they were working at a deficit to start with. With Gronkowski's retirement, Gordon's suspension and Chris Hogan's departure in free agency, the Patriots swiftly lost 57 percent of their 20-plus passing plays as soon as the offseason started.

So how have the Patriots done in that area, and how else might they make up the deficit?

Let's start at where they were last season.

The Patriots' most productive 11 personnel grouping consisted of:

X: Josh Gordon (6-3)
Slot: Julian Edelman (5-10)
TE: Rob Gronkowski (6-6)
Z: Chris Hogan (6-1)

Options now at each position:

X
Gordon (if suspension is lifted)
N'Keal Harry (6-2)
Demaryius Thomas, inj. (6-3)
Maurice Harris (6-2)

Skinny: Obviously the best-case scenario is if Gordon's suspension is lifted. If he's able to give them a full, effective season — he was highly productive last season — then that allows them to move others, specifically Harry, to another spot to make the offense that much more efficient and potent. ... If Gordon isn't' reinstated, then the preference would be for Thomas to grab the role, again, for the same reason. But we'll have to see how that goes, and it's more likely Thomas is not cleared for camp and emerges from the PUP list later in the season. For that to happen, he can't be cleared for camp. ... Then it could be Harry and Harris battling for the X spot. Harry obviously has a higher ceiling, but Harris is a veteran who has been in the league and may make a quicker transition.

Verdict: This spot should be better than it was last season.

Slot
Julian Edelman (5-10)
Braxton Berrios (5-9)
Ryan Davis (5-10)

Skinny: Edelman is one of the hardest workers on the team and is still incredibly tough to cover on option routes and speed outs. You might worry about other players if they were on display like Edelman continues to be with his Super Bowl MVP and documentary, but he's a different beast. ... Berrios showed a lot more in offseason than he did last year. But he should largely be a backup. Best-case scenario is he becomes Danny Amendola-light. ... Davis is an unknown.

Verdict: With a full season from Edelman, the output should be better at this position.

TE
Matt LaCosse (6-6)
Ryan Izzo (6-5)
Ben Watson (6-3)

Skinny: Obviously this position is basically a huge unknown. LaCosse and Izzo certainly have potential, but it was clear from offseason practices that this group lacks in athleticism — but they can still be productive. LaCosse was the most impressive player but, let's best honest, he's not going to make anyone forget about Gronkowski.

Verdict: This group has a lot to prove. One thing going for them is it's not like they're coming off peak-Gronk. It was average Gronk, at least in the passing game. That makes getting back to last season's level at least possible. But, again, this group needs better. Right now, they don't have it.

Z
Harry
Phillip Dorsett (5-10)
Dontrelle Inman (6-3)

Skinny: This position, as it often is in the Patriots' offense, will be dependent on what happens at the X spot. A trickle-down effect would go a long way to the Patriots having a chance at being more productive in the passing game. If it's Harry, that means X is OK and that's the optimal scenario. Harry has a lot of potential on a variety of routes. ... Dorsett is a fail-safe. If the coaches thought he was good enough, he would have played more last season. ... Inman is an interesting prospect. He's long with solid quickness, but his hands have been an issue in the past.

Verdict: Patriots are crossing their fingers this is a position where they can get a lot more production than they had with Hogan. Certainly, the potential is there.

Parting thoughts

In all likelihood, Gordon’s suspension is lifted and Harry grabs the third WR role. The Patriots are better with that group. Tight end is a real issue and if that turns out to be true, you will likely see the Patriots go to a four-wide set on third downs with Berrios, Thomas, Harris, Dorsett and Inman as the options. Yes, the running backs could be involved — especially Rex Burkhead — but the Patriots stand the best chance of being more explosive with four wides on the field.

Obviously, there’s a lot of work to do and a long ways to go, but the Patriots stand a chance of meeting their goal of being more productive on third downs — without the need to scheme up every big play. But a lot has to go right, especially with Gordon and Harry. If not, they’ll be back where they were — without Gronkowski to rely on in the Super Bowl.