Through three weeks of the NFL season, the New England Patriots offense has failed to put together a satisfying performance. The team has stopped and started, showing zero signs of consistency despite the number of playmakers they added in the offseason. Week 3 was another head-scratching performance as the Patriots scooted by the Oakland Raiders, failing to pull away until late in the game. The wide receivers are struggling to be on the same page with quarterback Tom Brady, which could lead to some personnel changes in the near future.
On Sunday, the Patriots offense was 1-of-4 in the red zone against a winless Raiders team. They failed to score a touchdown in six shots from inside the Oakland 5 yard line. After making the offense a priority in practice this week, Brady was at a loss of words as to why the team cannot seem to get the job done on offensive drives while his wide receivers continue to let him down.
"We've got to handle our business and do our job, whether it's situationally, whether it's scoring when we need to score," Brady said, via the Boston Herald. "We've just got to score more points, especially getting down in the red area and having opportunities to score and not being able to do it. It's not one person. It's not one thing. It's everybody doing a better job because it's tough to get in. There are a lot of bodies down there. We have to make the right plays and the execution has to be at a high level in order to get the ball in there."
All eyes fall on the receiving group for the offensive inconsistencies. Julian Edelman continues to prove why he got a contract extension, leading the group each week. However, after him it is all up for grabs. Danny Amendola has three catches on the year leaving many to wonder why he is still listed as a starter over someone like Aaron Dobson. Brandon LaFell has just 46 yards receiving so far this year. Kenbrell Thompkins continues to struggle with consistency and executing as well.
Brady is trying to spread the ball out, but Edelman and Rob Gronkowski are the only players catching passes. The two receivers make up 49.2 percent of the Patriots offense according to the Boston Herald. That simply will not get it done against teams with a much better record. The Patriots must find answers. Could it come in the form of a healthy Dobson or more passes to Tim Wright? Brady will have to figure something out.
"We just have to be able to ultimately score more points because if we don't, we're going to get beat," Brady said. "That's what it comes down to."
