Against the Bills today a few media members are giving credit to the Buffalo secondary but let's be real, the New England pass catchers have not been great this season. That problem falls in the same areas it fell on last year, even though the Patriots upgraded.
Being a young quarterback is no longer working for Mac Jones. The regular season is almost over with and Jones was considered the most NFL ready quarterback of the bunch. I get there are things he cannot control but he just finished under a 50% completion percentage. This was also the fourth time this season he completed under 60 percent of his passes. Today was also his third multiple interception game bringing his total to 12 on the season.
Then there are calls to get Jonnu Smith open by media members. To run specialized plays just for Jonnu. Where the ball is getting forced to him. They said the same thing in 2019 for N'Keal Harry, that the guy was dangerous in space. Everyone can be productive in space if given the opportunity. Some just better than others but still. And what happens if the defense keys on a play where Smith or anyone else is the only option? It's just not smart football. You gotta have three progressions on a play, minimum.
Prior to this game out side the running backs, the only pass catcher with a decent catch rate was Kendrick Bourne at 80.4%. Of the new additions Smith was at 61.4%, Agholor 59%, and Henry at 70.7%.
Last year's hold overs aren't doing any better. Meyers had a 60.7% catch rate. And Harry was sporting a 66.7% rate.
When it comes to targets, six guys are getting most of them with Meyers not only leading the way but with almost having double the targets than the next guy. Which is also true for the sixth guy in targets.
The Patriots spread the ball around but with the catch percentages of three of the top five maybe it's time to shuffle the roster a little. As Meyers came into the game with 102 targets, Agholor 61, Henry 58, Bourne 56, Smith 44, and Bolden 39. And Bolden by the way came into Sunday's week sixteen match up against the Buffalo Bills with a catch rate above 89%.
Now I get that there have been good defenses and other things that have hindered the production of the passing offense. I also get that the team was built to be a run first team. Which they did okay today, rushing for 149 yards.
However, that's no excuse for the lack of efficiency and production from the passing unit.
The team has a depth chart for a reason. If one guy isn't getting it done, you go and call the next man up. If McDaniels isn't getting creative enough or cannot do his job efficiently with the personnel he has, you let someone else do it. He'll let Bill take over, he is the head coach for a reason. Or maybe just maybe Bill needs to take the restraints of McDaniels, we don't know.
Oh, and I didn't even touch on the offensive line. The Patriots need the offensive line guru back but he deserves a chance to have a life outside of football. Run or Pass, neither can be as effective as they need be if the line cannot be functional.
Any now it's been three seasons, maybe four and the Patriots still have the same problems on offense. Only difference is they have a lot more money invested in the offense this year. I get they're in a rebuild but that's no excuse. That excuse no longer workers being at this point of the season with nine wins and in the brink of a wild card birth.
The offense needs to do it's job. Manage the game, secure the ball and win. That's it. Enough excuses. Enough... Do your job. And yes I was around 25-30 years ago. I know they were bad then. That doesn't give the current group a pass. No they're not undebatable but the quickest way back to mediocrity is to excuse losses and lack of production.
There are no more passes left for this team in the season. It's time fans hold the organization accountable for mistakes and failures until the season is over. #OnToJacksonville.
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