NFL Notebook: Patriots don't have many on-field problems, but the red zone is one (until kickoff)

When you win the opening game 33-3 over an alleged AFC playoff contender, and face the Fish Tankapooloza Dolphins in Week 2, you really have NFL first-world problems. If you can find any.

You know Bill Belichick has and will. Nobody is better at making a 33-3 film session feel like a 45-0 loss. He'll take every error and put a huge spotlight on it, and make the offenders feel like they're lucky to be on the team. Tom Brady included.

If Belichick was looking for fodder this week, he could just start and end with the Patriots' red zone offense against the Steelers. It was, in a word, putrid. The Patriots are currently tied for last in the league in the red area with a Blutarsky mark of 0.0%.



Now, to be fair, the Patriots did score from the Pittsburgh 20 on a Josh Gordon touchdown, but that doesn't count in the stats and is certainly right in Belichick's wheelhouse.

No time like the present and today's game to get that cleaned up.

"(We) really (need) to focus on the things we need to do to improve," said Josh McDaniels, who was already drinking the Belichick Kool-Aide. "The other night, we didn't run the ball as well as we needed to run the ball. We didn't play very well in the red zone. There's plenty of other things that we need to do and fix and get better at as we head into game No. 2 of the season."

How bad was it, and what might the Patriots do to fix the "issue"?

The Patriots ran 12 plays in the red area (inside the 20) against the Steelers. Only five plays resulted in positive gains and just two went for more than 2 yards.

On the 12 plays, the Patriots totaled 4 yards thanks to a sack and a hold on Shaq Mason.

Brady was 2 of 8 for 4 net yards. Sony Michel and Rex Burkhead combined for 4 attempts and zero net yards.

Woof.

"We could have a done a better job in the red area, which I think we can do," Brady said after the game. "So, I don’t think anything was perfect."

The Patriots tried just about every personnel grouping and formation at their disposal to breakthrough. They used 21 personnel (two backs, one tight end, two receivers) on six snaps, and varied from the I-formation with fullback James Develin to the lone back to James White and Rex Burkhead being in the shotgun with Brady. Even Phillip Dorsett made an appearance in the backfield. That personnel grouping produced 15 yards before Mason's hold left it at 9 net yards.

The Patriots went with just 20 (two backs, no tight ends, three receivers) and 11 personnel (one back, one tight end, three receivers) three times each. Those were a complete bust in totality: 1 for 6 passing, sack, minus-5 net yards.

Expect the Patriots to improve on this front come 1 p.m. against the Dolphins. In their Week 1 59-10 loss to the Ravens, Miami allowed Baltimore to score on 5 of 7 trips into the red zone (71 percent) and 5 of 6 times (83 percent) in goal-to-go situations. The Ravens are ranked 12th in the league in the red zone thanks to Miami.

"We didn’t tackle well at all," Brian Flores said this week. "I think the things we talk about defensively – tackling is at the forefront. Setting the edge is at the forefront. Communication. We didn’t do those things well. Those will be things we harp on, that we have harped on, and we’ll continue to harp on, and harp on even more in the coming days."

How might the Patriots get back on track in the red zone? Usually, when this team struggles in that area, they re-double their focus on the running game. Proper execution there not only leads to tough yards — which are stressed in the red zone — but it opens up the Patriots' passing game, which is really the best way for them to open up passing lanes. And it's not even production — the Patriots' play-action game is keyed off the action of the running game (like pulling a guard) to mess up the keys used by linebackers to diagnose plays and tendencies.

New tight end Ryan Izzo struggled a bit on Sunday, so don't be surprised to see the Patriots start going with a sixth offensive lineman at tight end in the red zone and start from there.

NFL NOTES

Grab your popcorn for ...: Jaguars CB Jalen Ramsey vs. Texans WR DeAndre Hopkins.

These AFC South rivals get after it. Hopkins has played against Ramsey six times (Jaguars lead 4-2). Hopkins averages 3.7 receptions and 54.7 yards in the four losses to the Jags, and 6.3 receptions for 77.8 yards in the victories.

Overall, Hopkins averages 6.5 receptions for 77.8 yards in the six games in one-on-one matchups with Ramsey, who has 11 passes defensed and one interception against Houston.

“We always have pretty good battles,” Ramsey told reporters. “Sometimes, I hold him to less yardage ... but I know that he’s a tough guy to go out there and guard play-in and play-out.”

Hello again: Vic Fangio, whose work as the Bears' defensive coordinator got him the Broncos' head coaching job, will go up against his former players this week.

“The good thing about (playing for Fangio) is that there was always something you could learn,” linebacker Danny Trevathan said in a conference call with the Denver media. “He’s coached some of the greats at linebacker. When a guy like that is talking, a person in (that) position listens because that’s where I want to see myself.”

DK off to OK start: DK Metcalf was one of the most talked-about draft prospects this year due to his large size (6-4, 228 pounds) and timed speed (4.33 in the 40-yard dash), but he dropped all the way to 64th in the second round as teams questioned whether he would be a good pro target.

Metcalf passed his first test, with four catches (on a team-leading six targets) for 89 yards in Seattle’s 21-20 victory over Cincinnati in the season opener. It was the most yards ever for a Seahawks rookie receiver in his first game. Metcalf opened eyes with his adjustment and catch late in the third quarter on a crucial third down, with the Seahawks trailing 17-14.

https://twitter.com/thecheckdown/status/1170826674885148672?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1170826674885148672&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.thenewstribune.com%2Fsports%2Fnfl%2Fseattle-seahawks%2Farticle235047002.html

“I was really fired up that we got the ball to DK,” said Pete Carroll. “You can see why all of the interest and focus has been there. He can really help us and we’re just getting him started of course, but it was nice for him to come through and make some tough catches and guys hanging all over him and all that.”

PATRIOTS PICK

LINE: Patriots -19, 48.5 o/u

Don't let your ingrained New England worrywart mentality overcomplicate this. There is no way the Patriots are losing this game.

Patriots 42, Dolphins 6.

(1-0 ATS, 1-0 straight up)