Patriots will need an alpha to emerge on offense if they want to sniff playoffs-ZoomTech News

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. — Tom Brady was at Gillette Stadium in Week 1, and but his absence felt omnipresent for the New England Patriots offense, which could not full a comeback in a 25-20 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles.

The Patriots offense had alternative after alternative towards the Eagles on Sunday afternoon. For individuals who turned off the TV after the primary quarter when the Eagles constructed a fast 16-point lead, you would be shocked to listen to the Patriots might’ve gained it.

Perhaps they need to’ve gained it.

The Eagles have been clearly the extra gifted group, however the Patriots saved themselves related — notably with New England’s protection producing a stunning pressured fumble with 3:35 left within the recreation after which a turnover on downs with 1:57 left within the recreation.

That put all of the strain on the offense to get the ball ultimately zone. And but New England generated zero factors off these two last-minute takeaways.

“They gave me the ball twice to win the sport, and I could not do it,” quarterback Mac Jones stated. “I’ve simply gotta be higher. … Simply felt like I let the protection down and I’ve acquired to take care of that.”

He added: “I felt like in essentially the most crucial instances, I performed my worst. … When it is the toughest, that is when you want to play your greatest. I positively can do it. I do know I can do it. I’ve achieved it earlier than.”

There’s the previous cliché that nobody is more durable on [insert name] than [insert name]. However that cliché is actual in relation to Jones. In a metropolis the place Boston sports activities radio might and would complain about sunny days, Tremendous Bowls and puppies, Jones stays his personal worst critic. That is an excellent factor, even when it is powerful to observe him rip himself up on the rostrum.

It is not a disaster of confidence within the locker room, nevertheless.

“I feel as a quarterback, that is how he has to return up right here and discuss to y’all,” edge Matthew Judon stated postgame. “However we do not care about that. … We won’t put it on Mac. He performed his butt off.”

Jones accomplished 35 of 54 passes for 316 yards, three touchdowns and one interception with two sacks. However these two sacks value the Patriots dearly. The primary sack dropped the group from second-and-5 to third-and-12. The ultimate sack pushed the group from second-and-10 to third-and-13. This offense depends enormously on staying on schedule. After they have greater than 10 yards to go, it is a bleak outlook for them.

The Patriots went 1-of-4 on fourth down they usually had all three of their turnovers on downs within the closing 10 minutes of the sport.

“It is cool that we’re going for it on fourth down,” receiver Kendrick Bourne stated. “It exhibits our confidence. I like that. I feel it places strain on different groups. These guys are assured that we’ll get it. I feel we’ll do higher within the subsequent conditions.”

Once more, New England is placing a constructive tone a few powerful state of affairs. The Patriots have been with out two of their beginning offensive linemen (Michael Onwenu, Cole Unusual) and a beginning receiver (DeVante Parker). And, once more, the Eagles are a terrific group — they’re Tremendous Bowl favorites.

However towards Philly, the Patriots confirmed the identical drawback that they’ve had since Brady departed. From 2020 to 2022, the Patriots have been 3-13 towards groups that went to the playoffs, as noted by NBC Sports’ Tom Curran. The Patriots beat the Dolphins in 2022, however that they had Teddy Bridgewater and Skylar Thompson at QB. New England beat the Tennessee Titans and Buffalo Payments in 2021. However Buffalo was that insane chilly and windy recreation that felt a bit fluky.

I hate to tug a Mike Tirico however even the Patriots’ current wins towards playoff groups really feel like they’ve asterisks. 

They only do not appear to have The Man who will get their group over the sting towards elite groups within the fourth quarter.

It was once Brady. However The Man does not must be a quarterback. When the Patriots drafted Jones at fifteenth total in 2021, they needed to know that he was a QB supported by his pass-catchers in faculty. Jones will let you know he is some extent guard who performs quarterback. That is the way in which he performed on Sunday afternoon towards the Eagles. And he did a good job at it, admittedly lacking a number of vital passes, like his pick-six to Bourne and his fourth-down, off-target throw to Kayshon Boutte on the group’s closing offensive snap. Bourne acquired his palms on the ball, however could not fairly get his physique in the precise place to catch the just-off-target throw. Boutte could not fairly preserve his toes in-bounds, on a equally just-off-target throw.

If Jones is only a man, possibly The Man exhibits up at one other place.

Perhaps it is a receiver. Perhaps it is one of many tight ends. The Man could possibly be a working again, however the league has indicated financially — by stiffing working backs with shrinking contracts — that the place does not have sufficient sway over profitable video games. 

However who can the Patriots look to at these positions? 

Bourne is an choice. “That is my go-to man,” Jones stated. However in these closing three drives that resulted in turnovers on downs, Bourne had only one catch for 9 yards. I repeat: On the three most vital drives.

Tight finish Hunter Henry is perhaps That Man. He had a terrific one-handed catch on fourth down early within the recreation — the lone conversion.

However Henry additionally had a drop on one of many fourth downs the place they didn’t convert. 

New England even seemed to Boutte, a sixth-round rookie, for the all-important and closing fourth-down conversion with 27 seconds left. It may need been an excessive amount of to ask of the teen in his debut when, frankly, he acquired a surprisingly massive variety of snaps. 

Whereas Boutte ran the route that might have — however did not — win the sport, receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster watched from the sideline. And he is the man the Patriots signed for 3 years and $25 million this offseason in free company. He cannot be The Man if he isn’t on the sector. He is a helpful piece on their offense, a check-down choice for Jones. However that is on a group chock stuffed with check-down choices.

There is not any alpha.

There is not any participant who will make the play that wins them the sport.

Not to date, not less than.

It is a cute concept to have so many gamers stable sufficient that the opponents cannot defend all of them. (The Patriots focused 9 totally different pass-catchers.) However if you use the entire group, you find yourself asking your sixth-round rookie to make a game-winning catch. And you find yourself shedding due to it. That is perhaps OK in a season when Brady would assist flip the group round. That is perhaps OK in an AFC East with groups that stumbled by means of their seasons like they have been carrying clown sneakers.

However similar to the Patriots cannot let themselves face third- or fourth-and-long, they can not get themselves in a gap on the season.

[Do you want more great stories delivered right to you? Here’s how you can create or log in to your FOX Sports account, follow your favorite leagues, teams and players and receive a personalized newsletter in your inbox daily.]

The Patriots do not have Brady. The AFC East is legit. Tua Tagovailoa reminded everybody how good the Dolphins will be along with his clutch win over the Chargers on Sunday. The Buffalo Payments and New York Jets sq. off on Monday evening in what is bound to be a powerful show from each groups. And people are simply three of the massively gifted groups the Patriots will face this 12 months on their massively sturdy schedule.

There will not be any ethical victories in 2023. The Patriots do not have plenty of time to determine their offense, their scheme, their growing quarterback and their growing weapons. In the event that they need to keep within the playoff hunt, they should win now. They wanted to win Sunday. In opposition to the Eagles, who gave the Patriots ample probabilities to steal an upset.

And it wasn’t for lack of protection. It was for lack of offense. Sooner or later, the Patriots want an alpha to emerge from their ranks. Or else they are going to spend one other season under .500. 

Previous to becoming a member of FOX Sports activities because the AFC East reporter, Henry McKenna spent seven years overlaying the Patriots for USA TODAY Sports activities Media Group and Boston Globe Media. Observe him on Twitter at @henrycmckenna.

---

---