3 Patriots to Blame for Embarrassing Loss to Giants in Week 12

3. JuJu Smith-Schuster, Wide Receiver

We talk about this frequently, but it's worth repeating: JuJu Smith-Schuster was one of the worst and most ill-advised free agent signings of the 2023 offseason.

If the Kansas City Chiefs, a team clearly starved at the wide receiver position, didn't want Smith-Schuster back, then what in the world made the New England Patriots think he was worth the investment?

At any rate, the Patriots made this bed, and they're lying in it.

To his credit, Smith-Schuster had a big catch and conversion on a fourth down in the fourth quarter which helped keep the game alive for New England. But he caught just two passes for 10 yards and continues to be wildly ineffective on a majority of the snaps he's been playing for the Patriots.

It's simply inexcusable for a player who is getting $16 million in guaranteed money, even if the quarterback situation is a problem.

In other Patriots news: