It was another rough weekend for the New England Patriots offense in a 28-22 loss to the Houston Texans.
Sure, New England scored 22 points but they were largely inconsistent and saw a desperate attempt for a comeback fall just short after narrowly failing to recover a late onside kick. With the number of weapons the Patriots have on offense, there’s no reason they should be struggling the way they have this year.
But poor execution combined with inconsistent play and questionable play-calling have put New England at an impasse.
How do the Patriots climb out of this offensive rut? Tom Brady offered a simple explanation during his Monday night interview on Westwood One:
I don’t think there’s any real magic formula, there’s no magic play you can call that will work. It just comes down to everyone believing in one another, trusting in one another, having confidence that we can go out and execute on a consistent basis. It’s one thing to say it, it’s another to do it. There are some times when we’ve done it and scored points and there’s other times we haven’t and it leads to negative plays, turnovers, and punts where you don’t score.
Earlier Monday, Brady clarified his frustration with his receivers and did so again Monday night, explaining how he is always looking to help the younger players improve and adds a secondary voice along with the coaches on the sidelines.
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Too Many Options
The Patriots have had quite a few offensive players on the roster over the course of the season that has led to a lack of continuity for Brady. In turn, his chemistry with receivers has taken a dip as he has to work at getting comfortable with several different targets.
He also offered a comment on his myriad of passing targets during his Monday night interview:
I think we’ve had quite a bit of turnover and change and that’s natural, every team is dealing with that in the NFL. We’re working through those types of things as every other team. We’re judged as a team over the course of 16 games and we have some very important ones coming up. There’s a lot of teams that aren’t in the position that we’re in and we have to be fortunate and have some perspective to appreciate where we’re at. It’s going to be all about our heard work and determination.
The latest receiver added to the fold, rookie first-round draft pick N’Keal Harry, has seen diminished playing time and was soundly beaten on an early passing route that resulted in an interception for the Texans. Brady wasn’t making excuses for his team’s poor play, but he remains optimistic his team can turn things around in time for a postseason run.
Brady has struggled himself, posting one of the lowest passer ratings in his career. But there is still time to right the ship, and it starts this week with a matchup at home against Kansas City.
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