New England Patriots: Things to improve on following Week 2 win

As many predicted, the New England Patriots are in the win column after a beatdown of the New York Jets. It definitely wasn’t a perfect game, but it was good enough to come away with a 25-6 victory.

The Patriots rode a strong defensive performance in this one, as they picked off Jets rookie quarterback Zach Wilson four times. Wilson was simply overwhelmed in this one, as the Patriots secondary was locking down his pass catchers and the front seven frequently won against the Jets offensive line, who were missing their top guy in left tackle Mekhi Becton.

The offense was fairly underwhelming but not terrible. Mac Jones didn’t need to do much, and put up a game manager stat line of 22 completions on 30 attempts for 186 yards with no touchdowns or turnovers.

The run game was steady but typically not explosive aside from one highlight reel touchdown run from Damien Harris, which was one of just two New England touchdowns in the game.

What can the New England Patriots improve on?

The lack of ability to capitalize when in opposing territory has been a serious issue through two weeks. Obviously there is plenty of time to fix this, but it needs to be done sooner rather than later as the Patriots will be playing some stronger teams in the coming weeks.

The Patriots are paying a combined $87.5 million to Jonnu Smith and Hunter Henry but have seldom used them as they approach the red zone. One would think that those two big bodies would be the primary targets as space gets more confined near the goal line.

Perhaps it can be chalked up to the fact that the Patriots didn’t need to open up the playbook much since the Jets aren’t exactly a tough matchup. Either way, this is something that has already cost them a game this season and it will cost them more if it is not addressed.

The Patriots also didn’t really fix their penalty issue either, with six of them for 54 yards. It was slightly better than the eight penalties they committed against Miami, but the team still needs to work on being disciplined.

Overall, it was good but not great showing against a team that they were supposed to beat. Next week might provide a bigger challenge, as the Patriots will host the New Orleans Saints.

The Saints are coming off a loss to the Carolina Panthers in a game where their starting quarterback Jameis Winston reverted back to his old ways, throwing multiple interceptions.

The Patriots may be able to nab a few more interceptions in that game, but the Saints will most likely keep it competitive with Sean Payton still at the helm calling plays.

In order to win for the second straight time, the New England Patriots will need to continue to work on their discipline and find a way to prevent good offensive drives from stalling out.