FOXBOROUGH — I fully comprehend the Patriots are not operating with a full cupboard of talent when it comes to the offensive side of the football.
Or, perhaps, half-full.
The injury gods have not been good to them either, especially on the offensive line where the nerve center that is David Andrews is gone, and each week's lineup seems like the rotating cast for one of those panel shows from the 1970s and '80s like Hollywood Squares. Each week I'm eager to see which Rich Little or Paul Lynde we're going to be introduced in that game (come on down Bryan Hudson!).
I know offensive coordinator Alex Van Pelt has been a little hamstrung by the lack any consistency in the lineup, especially the line. And Jacoby Brissett has been under open assault in each game (another 42 percent pressure in this one).
I get it, I really do.
But something has to change with the offense after Sunday's humiliating 15-10 loss to the bumbling Dolphins. This isn't getting better, it's getting worse. I'm not going to roll out the cliched-to-death definition of insanity, but I may have checked out local mental facilities online because I need a little breather.
I'm not asking for the Patriots to be a good offense. I'm not certifiable, yet. They don't even need to be average.
But they have to be better than this. Let's call it passable.
Do you realize that after being gifted a touchdown thanks to Christian Gonzalez's interception, the Patriots' net yards on their next seven drives were: 0, 8, 8, 5, 50, 7 and 38 yards. That's 116 yards ... on 36 plays. That's 3.2 yards per play.
The Patriots got the ball on the Miami 23 after Branden Schooler's blocked punt, gained 28 yards on 7 plays, were penalized 20 yards and netted 8 yards before Joey Slye missed a chip-shot field goal.
They couldn't even accept a gift without vomiting on it. Again ... not a good offense, not an average one, just be passable.
FAIL.
Dolphins coach Mike McDaniel, himself not exactly operating at a full talent capacity with that line and the weekly QB du jour out there, was able to figure it out enough after halftime. He only had three offensive possessions in the second half. The result:
56 yards ... FG
57 yards ... FG
80 yards ... Touchdown.
On the eventual game-winning drive, McDaniel called:
Run ... 3 yards
Run ... 16 yards
Run ... 2 yards
Run ... 18 yards
Run ... 2 yards
Run ... 8 yards
Run ... 3 yards (touchdown).
The Patriots come back the other way, have a first down at the Miami 12 with 1:13 left and all three timeouts. Van Pelt decides to call:
Pass ... incomplete
Pass ... incomplete
Pass ... incomplete
Pass ... incomplete
Despite leading for nearly the entire game, Van Pelt called 36 dropbacks that produced 160 yards, and just 18 running back carries despite his backs combining for 141 yards.
Does that make sense to anyone?
Not a good offense, not an average one, just be passable.
At the end of three quarters, the Patriots had 6 first downs, were 1 of 9 on third down, had 153 total yards and 50 net passing yards.
FIFTY.
Not a good offense, not an average one, just be passable.
At this point in Week 5, the Patriots' offense ranks:
31st with 12.4 points per game (league average: 22.16)
31st with 1.17 points per drive (1.97)
31st with 9.4% touchdowns per drive (21.0)
30th in 26.4% any points on drive (38%)
28th with average drive of 23.3 yards (30)
32nd - by a wide margin - with 30.8% red zone efficiency (55.3)
30th with 43.4% three-and-out drives (32.4)
31st with a three-and-punt % of 34% (21.2)
Mind you, this is with the 4th-best average starting position in the league at the 32.5.
Not a good offense, not an average one, just be passable.
Points per week: 16, 20, 3, 13, 10.
It's time for Mayo to do something before it's too late and this season really spins out of control.
What can he do?
It's either change the coordinator or the quarterback, or perhaps both.
Mayo has been fond of bringing up Dan Campbell in the last week, as a young coach who took his lumps.
"Look, you can look around the league and look at what we would call established coaches at this current time. But there was a time in their career early on where they probably were getting killed, too," Mayo said this week. "I think about Dan Campbell, I think about [Kyle] Shanahan, I think about all those guys that had to weather the storm, and that's what we'll do."
Sunday: "I expected to take my lumps just like a lot of other first-year head coaches. Look, I'm fine with that."
Well, guess what Campbell did in his first season as coach? He took playcalling away from Anthony Lynn midway through the season, fired him after the season, and promoted Ben Johnson. The rest is history.
I am well aware of what the Patriots do and don't have. You can't tell me there's not someone out there somewhere who could do more than Van Pelt is doing. Maybe someone inside the building. Maybe Ben McAdoo. He was last the Panthers offensive coordinator in 2022 when he had Baker Mayfield and Sam Darnold.
They averaged 20.4 points per game, good for 20th in the league. They were held below 15 points only 3 times all season. The Patriots have been under 15 that EACH OF THE LAST THREE GAMES.
What I wouldn't do for 20.4 points per game right now. And Mayo should be thinking the same thing.
Not a good offense, not an average one, just be passable.
Maybe do it in conjunction with a quarterback switch.
I've been all on the Let Drake Bake train, but I figured the Patriots' offense would passable, tolerable. I think we have established it is not.
I think Brissett for taking all the hits, and being a standup guy. But if the film reveals again what I think it will, they have to make a switch.
Brissett looked awful in this game for stretches, and this is a guy who knows the offense and has played years in this league. How is that good enough?
There is zero upside to keeping Brissett in there - get Drake Maye in there and start learning the lessons. I mean, has anyone thought about how it might be better for Maye to stop watching Brissett hold the ball and deliver to the wrong side of the field, that just viewing this might hurt his development?
The QB play is not passable either. The offense stinks, but Brissett is making it worse.
To perfectly illustrate the ineptitude of the coordinator and the playcaller, let's take a look at NextGenStats.
Brissett has the lowest expected completion percentage in the league at this point (58.9 percent). That's the playcaller not doing enough to help limited weapons.
Brissett's actual completion percentage is 58.5. Only Bryce Young and Anthony Richardson are worse. Young's been benched and Richardson can do damage with this legs.
I don't care if Maye is ready or not. It's time to make a change. He'd make this offense way better than it is. And if Van Pelt can't figure out how to scheme it up for him, bring in McAdoo.
I can't watch this anymore. Patriots fans deserve better than this.
Not a good offense, not an average one, just be passable.
The Patriots just stink. Time for a change, or multiple changes.
