There has been a lot of focus on the offense of the New England Patriots in recent weeks. Specifically, the quarterback position has been under the microscope, but not for any good reasons.
In underwhelming play of quarterback Mac Jones has been a topic of discussion throughout the 2023 season. The 2021 first-round pick has not come close to living up to expectations, as he has been benched by head coach Bill Belichick on three separate occasions this season.
The most recent occurrence, in Week 12 against the New York Giants, could be the last time we see him under center for the team. He was replaced at halftime by Bailey Zappe after throwing two more interceptions.
Zappe was then named the team’s starter for their Week 13 matchup against the Los Angeles Chargers. His performance, as it has been all season when called upon, was also underwhelming. They lost on Sunday afternoon to the Chargers in embarrassing fashion, 6-0.
It is fair to assume that the 2024 starting quarterback for the Patriots is not currently on their roster. At 2-10, New England is putting itself in a position to select one of the top quarterback prospects in the 2024 NFL Draft.
While the offense needs a lot of work, whoever is under center can at least rest easy knowing that they will be getting some support from the defense. While all of the focus has been on the ineptitude of the offense, the Patriots’ defense has been quietly putting together some impressive performances over the last few weeks.
According to NFL on CBS on X, formerly known as Twitter, the Patriots have allowed the fewest points in the NFL since Week 9. They have given up only 46, which is three fewer than the San Francisco 49ers.
But, there is a major difference between the Patriots and 49ers and the other three teams in the top five; they are winless. New England has gone 0-4 during that span, while the other four teams have all won at least three games.
That speaks volumes about how inept the Patriots’ offense truly has been this season. Over that stretch in which the defense has performed at a high level, the offense is averaging 7.5 points per game. They have gone without a touchdown in two out of the last three games and scored in single digits in three in a row.
Had their offense been able to perform at even a below-average level, not be in dead last averaging 12.3 points per game on the season, they would be squarely in the hunt for a playoff spot in the AFC. All of the work that the defense has been able to do has been undone by incompetence on offense, putting this Patriots team on track to be one of the worst in franchise history.
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