New England Patriots are 5-4 after nine games and at the season’s midway point. Let’s take a look at three key areas and how they have performed.
They would be coaching, offense, and defense. The team still sits in an unfamiliar last place in the AFC East Division, a game behind the Dolphins and Jets and two behind the leader, the Buffalo Bills.
Winning their last two games vaulted the Patriots back into the discussion for a possible playoff berth and actually within striking distance of the top spot in the AFC East, as well.
So let’s evaluate how they have done to this point of the season in these three key areas and begin with the coaching.
New England Patriots coaching has been fair to middling
The New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick is controversial in his assistant coaching assignments if nothing else. Instead of replacing long-time offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels with a bonafide offensive mind, he chose instead to go with a tandem of two former head coaches.
Matt Patricia a former Patriots defensive coordinator, and Joe Judge, a former Patriots special teams coach lead the offense.
Those moves have both flopped. Not only has second-year talented quarterback Mac Jones regressed, but the vanilla offense seems to be better known by the opposition at times than the Patriots players.
These selections have been busts and what might the record be if Belichick had been more conventional? The grade at this point for coaching is a C with the defensive coaching bailing out the offense.
In addition, the draft has had mixed results with the top two picks faltering and free agency was also a dud. They also did nothing at the trade deadline. Thus personnel management also under Belichick was underwhelming in the offseason. They’d get a weak C- grade here.
The New England Patriot offense’s grade
The New England Patriots offense has to some extent been a reflection of its coaching and that reflection isn’t the best. For a unit expected to be the team’s spearhead, they have failed in any number of ways. They have been a disappointment.
The wide receivers have been below average. The tight ends until very recently have been invisible. Plus, the offensive line has underperformed to a fair-thee-well and failure to shore up the tackle position in the draft is proving to be a huge omission.
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Quarterback Mac Jones as noted has not had the vaunted second-year growth expected, quite the opposite. Frankly, rookie surprise Bailey Zappe handled the vanilla offense that Patricia is using better than Jones and it is felt here he should be starting.
Jones has been under pressure from a porous and mistake-ridden offensive line and it’s shown up in his inability to put the ball in the end zone.
Only the field goal kicking of MVP Nick Folk has been a bright light. He has bailed out the offense on many occasions with three points.
Later on, however, the three won’t be enough to beat top teams on the schedule, especially the high-flying Bills they will play twice in the next eight games. The grade for the offense has to be a weak C-.
The New England Patriots defense shines
The silver lining for the team thus far has been its way over-performing defense. Little was expected here from this group which did nothing in the draft to enhance the first two levels of the defense: defensive line, and linebacker/edge. Rather, the defense has been the bulwark of the team this far and exceeded those limited expectations exponentially.
The best player on the defense and the team is Matt Judon, one of the team’s best-ever free-agent signings. Judon is playing at an All-Pro level with 11 1/2 sacks through the first 9 games, including three against Indianapolis.
He’s only been limited by the lack of talent in the defensive line and he has had little help on the right edge until recently. In the last game against the Colts, however, Josh Uche, a former underperforming second-round pick seems to have gotten his groove and had three sacks to match Judon’s production.
If that continues, only good things will ensue, especially when the team’s second-best defensive player, defensive tackle Christian Barmore (out injured for three games) can get back in action after the bye. He’s a pocket-collapsing force.
The defensive backfield has been fine, anchored by veterans Devin McCourty and Jalen Mills. They were also given a boost by surprising fourth-round rookie draft pick Jack Jones. Jones can play.
While they miss J.C. Jackson’s interceptions (no defensive back has more than two, they have still performed well. The defense gets an A- easily, and seems to be getting better every week. What grades would you dish out?