3 Major looming issues with the New England Patriots

Wide Receivers need to make an impact

The first two weeks of the season have not been kind to Patriots wideouts.

Although Tom Brady has looked great, his trusted targets have not. Less than 45% of Brady’s Completions have been to the team’s Wide Receivers.

A lack of separation has been huge. The team’s emphasis on route running has always been huge, but it seemingly has not mattered.

Chris Hogan has had lots of trouble getting free in man coverage and looks slow on the field. It was thought that he would be the one to take advantage of the weak group and Julian Edelman’s suspension. That has yet to happen, despite bringing in two touchdowns.

Hogan needs to be able to get open downfield and really open up that passing game. It is important that the Patriots get away from 5 yard throws to running backs, and get back to having a dynamic offense surrounded around arguably the best QB to ever play the game in Tom Brady.

Phillip Dorsett has been a pleasant surprise. Of his 14 targets, he has caught all but 2 of them for 110 yards and a touchdown. The main issue with Dorsett is figuring out what exactly he is.

He came into this league as a first-round pick and clearly has not lived up to that standard. He is athletic and has world class speed, but has always struggled with his hands. It seems like that is behind him, and hopefully, he can be a solid second or third option on the team.

Hopefully, with the insertion of Josh Gordon and return of Julian Edelman, the Pats wideouts can come back to prominence.