After their dismal 33-14 loss to the Chicago Bears on Monday Night Football, it seems there is only room for improvement for this Patriots squad. However, with a bit of a lighter schedule over the next four weeks, now seems to be the best time for New England to figure out what is going wrong with the team and fix it.
The next four Patriots opponents are the New York Jets, the Indianapolis Colts, the Jets (again) and the Minnesota Vikings. All three different teams feature inexperienced or mediocre quarterback play, and all should be opponents that the New England defense can pounce upon.
With the team coming off the tough loss, here are four burning questions going into next Sunday’s game vs the Jets.
1. Which quarterback will play more?
This list could honestly only feature this one question.
The issue of quarterback hasn’t seen this much controversy in New England since 2001, and Bill Belichick is being as coy as ever when answering questions about whether Mac Jones or Bailey Zappe would start for the team if both are completely healthy.
Bill Belichick, who is the starting quarterback?
"Yeah, we just finished the game."
The Patriots coach elects not to name a starting QB. pic.twitter.com/zy96lEUFzA
— Henry McKenna (@McKennAnalysis) October 25, 2022
Belichick also mentioned during Monday night’s postgame press conference that both quarterbacks planned to play during the game and that Jones was pulled due to injury concerns.
While both quarterbacks did get playing time on Monday night, neither truly impressed. Jones went 3-of-6 for 13 yards and an interception, and Zappe went 14-of-22 for 185 yards, a touchdown and two interceptions.
Ultimately, Jones’ ability to recover from injury will determine how much he plays on Sunday. However, the fact that Belichick and the rest of the Patriots coaching staff started Jones on Monday, even with his lingering ankle troubles, may indicate their continued faith in him as the starter moving forward.
2. How will defensive playcalling shift?
For how good New England’s defense has been this season, they have had one notable weakness: mobile quarterbacks. Baltimore Ravens signal caller Lamar Jackson is hard for any NFL defense to contain, but the Patriots seemingly had far more trouble with him than most during their Week 3 matchup.
Throughout Monday’s matchup vs the Bears, Chicago quarterback Justin Fields was doing his best Jackson impression against the Patriots’ seemingly unprepared defense. Fields rushed for 82 yards and a touchdown, while also adding 179 yards, a touchdown and an interception through the air.
The Patriots have two matchups with Jets quarterback Zach Wilson in the next few weeks, and while it is wholly unfair to compare him to either Jackson or Fields, his skill set as a mobile QB is somewhat similar.
New England has been exposed routinely by dual-threat quarterbacks so far this season. With a more versatile and quicker defense than in years past, one would have thought the team would have been better prepared for such explosive quarterbacks this season.
However, unless the team can learn quickly from Monday night’s game, they will have a long few weeks ahead of them.
3. Have we seen the last of Nelson Agholor as a Patriot?
Wide receiver Nelson Agholor came into the season as likely the top deep threat on the Patriots’ offense. With multiple reports applauding his performance in training camp during the offseason, Agholor seemed primed to outperform his mediocre 2021 campaign.
However, rookie second-round pick Tyquan Thornton, who was on injured reserve for the first four games of the season with a broken collarbone, has seemingly taken over Agholor’s spot as New England’s offensive deep threat.
Patriots offensive snaps vs. Bears:
🏈 RBs: Rhamondre Stevenson (40) outpaces Damien Harris (9) by wide margin
🏈 C David Andrews (44) streak of 100% broken w/ head injury as a result of defender’s blindside block
🏈 Tyquan Thornton (44) gets nod over Nelson Agholor (3) as WR3 pic.twitter.com/mSZvuWRjgd
— Mike Reiss (@MikeReiss) October 25, 2022
With the NFL trade deadline fast approaching and the Patriots having significant depth at the receiver position, one has to wonder whether Agholor’s days on the team are coming to a close.
The receiver that signed a two-year contract in March of 2021, rendering him a free agent after this season, could be a good get for a team looking to add to their offense for a playoff push.
4. Will the Jets have a ground game?
Rookie running back Breece Hall has been a monster this year for the Jets, fueling their offense and taking most of the pressure off Wilson. However, Hall tore his ACL in last weekend’s game against the Denver Broncos, forcing second-year running back Michael Carter into the RB1 role.
In response to the injury, the Jets acquired running back James Robinson from the Jacksonville Jaguars on Monday in an attempt to maintain the bruising ground game that Hall provided. However, Robinson likely won’t make a significant impact in the short term as he learns the Jets’ playbook.
Hall going down with an injury may lead to a shift in New York’s offensive game planning for Sunday’s matchup and could force them to put more pressure on Wilson to make throws and play well.
This unfortunate circumstance for the Jets may just be good fortune for the Patriots, who will now take on their AFC East rival without having to face their top offensive weapon.
