The Patriots are sinking, and they're sinking fast. With New England at 1-4 and coming off back-to-back blowout losses, it's clear that drastic changes must be made to save the season.
The Patriots have a lot of issues, unfortunately, but they're not all unfixable. Solutions exist, and New England still has time to rally and make the playoffs if its aggressive and acts now.
Here are five changes the Patriots need to make ASAP if they want to make the playoffs.
5 Moves Patriots Should Make ASAP
1. Fire Bill Belichick
Pretty much all of the Patriots' current issues can be pinned on Belichick, namely his terrible roster construction and the team's lack of preparation at the start of games. They keep losing because they keep falling behind early and don't have the talent to catch up, and both of those things are on Bill.
He's had a great run, of course, but it's time to stop living in the past. The game has passed Belichick by, and at 71 he clearly lacks the ingenuity and creativity needed to flourish in the modern NFL. Instead, he keeps surrounding himself with the same assistant coaches (including his kids) and is stuck trying to build a football team from a bygone era where defense, special teams and running the ball are more important than the passing game.
Belichick said the Patriots need to "start over," and that starts with him. He hasn't won a playoff game in over four years. The team is 27-35 under his watch since late 2019 despite employing five different starting quarterbacks (one of whom was Tom Brady). Belichick's strategies don't work anymore, and the sooner we acknowledge that the better.
New England's been grooming defensive coordinator Jerod Mayo to be Belichick's successor, and it's time to give him a shot. He's nearly half Belichick's age (37) and actually played in the modern NFL, so he's a little more up to speed on what it takes to win football games in 2023.
2. Fire Bill O'Brien
While we're at it, let's fire the offensive coordinator, too.
Bill O'Brien was brought in to fix the offense after Matt Patricia and Joe Judge broke it last year. Instead, the offense has somehow been even worse under O'Brien.
The Patriots rank dead last in scoring, 26th in yardage and are near the bottom of the league in a bunch of other metrics. They can't run the ball and they can't throw the ball. Mac Jones looks broken, and so does Bailey Zappe.
It's not like O'Brien has nothing to work with, either. Jones was a Pro Bowler in 2021. Rhamondre Stevenson rushed for over 1,000 yards last year, and Ezekiel Elliott is one of the best running backs in recent memory. JuJu Smith-Schuster is a former Pro Bowler as well, and Hunter Henry + Mike Gesicki is a strong tight end duo.
O'Brien hasn't been able to make it work, and the Patriots can't afford to wait any longer. They need someone to kick their offense into gear, and O'Brien (age 53) clearly isn't the guy. Again, someone younger and more forward-thinking would serve New England well here.
3. Replace Mac Jones
Jones is broken -- perhaps beyond repair -- and at this point the Patriots are better off trying someone new under center rather than trying to fix him midseason.
Zappe could have been the answer, but now he looks broken too. New England's offense needs a spark under center, and that's where Malik Cunningham fits in.
Cunningham may not be the solution to the Patriots' quarterback problem, but he at least deserves a shot. The Patriots tried to turn Jones into the next Brady and it failed, but their best bet to get back on track right now is with a mobile quarterback. Cunningham's scrambling ability negates the team's porous offensive line and dearth of pass-catchers. He was a star at Louisville and could be a mini Lamar Jackson if reaches his ceiling.
Cunningham is a project who may not pan out, but New England will never know what it has in him until it actually uses him in a game. He's never going to develop into a starting-caliber QB just by practicing or sitting on the bench. Give him a chance to learn and grow and who knows? Maybe you catch lightning in a bottle and he suddenly rejuvenates the offense.
When you're already last in the league in scoring, what do you have to lose?
4. Trade for a Top Receiver
The Patriots haven't had a true No. 1 receiver in, well, a really long time.
They should have DeAndre Hopkins right now, but they totally botched their negotiations with him in free agency. They should have at least kept Jakobi Meyers, but they screwed that up as well.
Fortunately, there's still time to add one via trade. Davante Adams has expressed his discontent with the Las Vegas Raiders and is already looking for a change of scenery. The Carolina Panthers will probably put Adam Thielen up for sale if they're smart, and guys like Jerry Jeudy and Marquise Brown could be available as well.
New England needs someone to lead its receiving corps, because Smith-Schuster ain't it. The offense needs a true playmaker who can get open downfield and beat defenders 1-on-1. That will make life much easier for Jones or whoever is under center for the Pats.
You need a No. 1 receiver to have a successful offense in the modern NFL, and it's time New England finally got one.
5. Upgrade the Offensive Line
Football games are often won and lost in the trenches, and that's why the Patriots have been losing so many games lately.
Their offensive line is terrible, especially at tackles. Injuries have played a part in that, but New England simply didn't have much talent there to begin with.
When your offensive line breaks down, the rest of the offense does too. The Patriots are built to run the ball but can't get any traction on the ground, ranking 26th in rushing yards and 29th in yards per carry. Mac Jones is constantly under pressure and is forced to rush his throws, resulting in costly turnovers. When he does get throws off, he doesn't have receivers who are capable of reeling them in.
The best offenses usually have strong offensive lines that protect their quarterback and open up holes in the run game. If New England wants to fix its offense and salvage Jones, that would be a great place to start.
Otherwise, anything else the Patriots do is just window dressing. Playing a new quarterback or trading for a No. 1 receiver won't move the needle much if the O-line is still a sieve.
So start there, and figure the rest out later if you have to.
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