Through four games, the New England Patriots have lost three straight after a stunning upset against the Cincinnati Bengals to start the season. The old saying is that a team in September is not the same in November or even December, but right now, things are not looking good for New England. Their offense is ranked near the bottom in several categories, their defense is doing the best they can with limited depth and Jerod Mayo is experiencing all of the pros and cons of being the head coach.
Although the common expectation for this team was that they were going to struggle a lot and miss the playoffs, it still stings to see them in a rough state, when they were on top of the world not that long ago. Let’s take a look at the first quarterly report for the New England Patriots and see what has been working for them thus far and understand what they need to do to keep getting better throughout the rest of the year.
The First Quarter Report of the 2024 New England Patriots Season
#1: Christian Gonzalez and Keion White Have Been Superb
So far, the two best players for the Patriots have been on the defensive side of the ball: cornerback Christian Gonzalez and defensive end Keion White. Beginning with the second-year cornerback, the basic statistics might not scream “All-Pro” or “Pro Bowl”. He has yet to have an interception this year and has only one pass defended. However, whenever he is lined up against some of the top receivers in the league, he has proven to be one of the best shutdown corners in the game.
Against the 49ers in Week 4, he was primarily matched up against Brandon Aiyuk, who just got paid one of the richest wide receiver deals in the league this past offseason, and Gonzalez gave up just one catch for twelve yards. He has been nothing but extraordinary since his return from shoulder surgery, so the time will come when he gets his first pick of the season. Keion White, on the other hand, has been the biggest reason why New England has any semblance of a pass rush. As of right now, he has four sacks, which is tied for fifth in the league. He has the same amount of sacks as the reigning defensive player of the year Myles Garrett. He has more than Chris Jones, Maxx Crosby, Nick Bosa and TJ Watt. The Patriots have been looking for somebody to step up on the front four since Matt Judon was traded to the Atlanta Falcons and Christian Barmore was ruled out indefinitely due to blood clots, and White has done more than step up. He might not be the loudest voice in the locker room, but he is absolutely one of the loudest players on the field.
Now that Ja’Whaun Bentley is expected to miss an extended period of time with a torn pec, there will be even more pressure on this defense throughout this season. For the second straight year, this defense has been the furthest issue for this football team, but bigger challenges still lie ahead.
#2: Rhamondre Stevenson: The Good and the Bad
This past summer, Rhamondre Stevenson signed a four-year contract extension worth $9 million per year that included $17 million guaranteed. It was a risky investment considering the fact that the durability of running backs always has a short window, but he is clearly the best player that the Patriots offense has right now, so he was worth receiving a new deal. Right now, he has touched the ball sixty-five times and rushed for 267 yards with a couple of touchdowns. Those are solid numbers that can be enough for 1,000 yards in a season.
However, there is one head-scratching statistic that not many Patriots fans saw coming. He leads the entire NFL, not just running backs, in fumbles. This is not the first time that this has been a problem for Stevenson. In his first-ever game in 2021 against the Miami Dolphins, he coughed up the ball on just the second drive of the game, and he ended up getting benched for the next three weeks. Now that he is a more developed running back, this cannot be a lingering issue for the rest of the season. He is the only reason why New England has any semblance of an offense right now.
The Patriots are ranked dead last in passing yards and second last in points scored but are twelfth in rushing averaging 127 yards per game. Without Rhamondre Stevenson playing at his best, the numbers are only going to get worse. He is great-sized, can pick up plenty of yards after the contact, and is not afraid to pull off a couple of long runs. He is always the player that people can count on to pick up a first down, but there is always the thought in the back of the fan’s head that says “Just hold onto the ball.”
#3: The Offensive Line Already in Shambles
On Sunday afternoon against the San Francisco 49ers, the New England Patriots started their fourth left tackle in as many weeks, second-year player Demontrey Jacobs. That should say everything about the state of this offensive line. Right now, they are the third-worst group in pass blocking and fourth-worst in run blocking, and it is because they have no depth whatsoever. Part of it is because they have been hit with injuries almost every single week. Adrian Lowe missed the last two weeks because of a knee injury, Cole Strange was placed on IR during the offseason because of a torn patellar tendon, Sidy Sow just made his first start against the 49ers returning from a bad ankle, and now David Andrews might be out for the rest of the year if he gets surgery on a shoulder injury he suffered on Sunday.
The only player that has not been a disaster at all has been Michael Onwenu, their starting right tackle. He has yet to give up a sack, he has only allowed one quarterback hit, and he has a pressure rate of 6.3%. This guy can only do so much because everybody else keeps getting completely outmatched and overpowered. Any quarterback in this situation would look miserable on the field and until this group gets completely overhauled in the offseason, then they are going to continue to look as horrible as they have all year.
#4: No Quarterback Controversy Whatsoever
After the first four games of the season, there should absolutely be no quarterback controversy. Jacoby Brissett might not be posting the most exciting numbers, but if they decided to start Drake Maye earlier in the year, then his confidence would be absolutely destroyed and that would entirely ruin his development. Put Patrick Mahomes or Lamar Jackson behind this offensive line and they would look completely baffled. Brissett is a quarterback who can only do so much whenever he is on the field, and when he does not have the protection or even the weapons to make him successful, then there is nothing more to expect besides frustrating drives that end in punts. To be blunt, the Patriots are nowhere near playoff contenders this season.
If the fans thought the last three losses were tough, there are going to be plenty more along the way. Their defense can be scrappy and the offense has a couple of flashy players, but this team is more than likely finishing with a high draft pick for the second straight year. Realistically, the only time that head coach Jerod Mayo would play Maye is when they are officially eliminated from playoff contention late in the year, which gives them the chance to see what they have for the next few years. The bottom line is this: the Patriots should not even consider starting Drake Maye against the Miami Dolphins. Just keep giving the reigns to Brissett because not only is he the more experienced guy, but the team cannot risk ruining their entire future.
#5: The WRs Have Been Incredibly Disappointing
One of the biggest reasons why these Patriots wide receivers have been underwhelming is because of the disastrous state of the offensive line, but they do not make it better for themselves with the lack of production. Right now, the best receiver in New England is Hunter Henry, with 148 receiving yards. Demario Douglas is the only guy that is even close to that mark with 94. The third leading man is running back Antonio Gibson at 82, then the only touchdown recipients Austin Hooper with 68, and finally Ja’Lynn Polk at 61. At the same time, there is not much more to ask for them to do right now.
The offensive line cannot block anybody, which hinders the ability of the quarterback to see the field properly, and that just takes away any big plays that the Patriots’ offense wants to run. New offensive coordinator Alex Van Pelt has done whatever he can with the lack of depth around him, but unless Rhamondre Stevenson has one of the biggest games of his life or the defense plays out of their minds, then this team is not scoring more than twenty points a game. This is the sad reality for a New England Patriots offense that was on top of the league not that long ago, and once again, playing Drake Maye next week is not going to change a thing.
Main Image: © Sergio Estrada-Imagn Images
