Even with better coaching, the New England Patriots offense somehow looks much worse than it did last season. Through the first half of the season, they have gone from being bad to embarrassingly awful.
The offensive line hasn’t been able to stay healthy, and the talent at receiver hasn’t come close to living up to expectations. Quarterback Mac Jones hasn’t been a complete disaster, but he’s been bad enough to make some people believe he’s still the problem in New England.
The chances of a turnaround in the second stretch isn’t looking good, either.
Kendrick Bourne, who was the Patriots’ leading receiver before going down with a torn ACL, is done for the season, and the offensive line play doesn’t look like it’s getting any better. A shaky Jones under center isn’t the kind of situation anyone would expect to instill hope in a football team.
Let’s take a look at the five best and worst offensive players for the Patriots in 2023 so far, per Pro Football Focus grades.
Top 5
- TE Pharaoh Brown: 92.8
- OL Trent Brown: 81.4
- WR Demario Douglas: 78.7
- OL Conor McDermott: 73.0
- RB Rhamondre Stevenson: 70.5
Tight end Pharaoh Brown has been one of the biggest surprise players for the Patriots this season. He’s a pick up the lunch box and go to work kind of player.
No, he isn’t the flashiest guy on the field, but he has been the most efficient player for the Patriots offense. It’s an interesting turn of events for a team that also has Hunter Henry and Mike Gesicki at tight end.
Trent Brown is another player that has been consistently reliable for the Patriots this season, which is saying a lot considering the offensive line struggles on the team. He has quietly been one of the best offensive tackles in the NFL for a team that has seemingly swapped offensive linemen on a weekly basis.
Conor McDermott had a high PFF grade, but his sample size was also smaller. So an argument could be made that center and captain David Andrews deserves a top-five mention as well.
Meanwhile, there are no arguments surrounding Demario Douglas, who has the potential to develop into the Patriots’ next great slot receiver. “Pop” Douglas can separate and shake defenders out of their cleats. Along with running back Rhamondre Stevenson, he’s one of the best skilled players on the Patriots’ roster.
Bottom 5
- QB Bailey Zappe: 49.2
- WR Kayshon Boutte: 45.2
- OL Calvin Anderson: 44.6
- OL Vederian Lowe: 40.7
- OL Atonio Mafi: 29.3
It should come at no surprise that three of the lowest-graded offensive players for the Patriots are offensive linemen.
Atonio Mafi is a rookie that has dealt with the typical ups and downs of a debut season, while Vederian Lowe and Calvin Anderson are two outside options that simply failed to work out in New England.
The hope is that Mafi improves with experience, and the rest of the unit finds stability and health in the second half of the season.
Backup quarterback Bailey Zappe has had a front row seat to how bad things can get under center. Granted, he has been worse than Mac Jones in the short time he’s had at quarterback, but the broken offensive line hasn’t helped matters.
As for Kayshon Boutte, he was believed to be one of the future prospects, next to Demario Douglas, to help bring in a new era at receiver for the Patriots. So far, he has only played in one game without a single reception.
Other notables
- WR Kendrick Bourne: 67.2
- QB Mac Jones: 58.5
- WR JuJu Smith-Schuster: 56.2
Kendrick Bourne’s devastating ACL injury couldn’t have come at a worse time. Not only was he playing in a contract year with the Patriots, but he was on the verge of another career-season. In eight games, he had 37 receptions for 406 receiving yards and four touchdowns.
Losing Bourne was a big gut punch to a Patriots team that was already lacking in legitimate receiving targets for Mac Jones to throw the ball to downfield. It hasn’t helped matters that the JuJu Smith-Schuster experiment has been a complete failure in New England.
When looking at the lack of talent on offense, it’s easy to see why Jones has struggled on the field. A banged-up offensive line combined with a lack of quality receiving targets would lead nearly every quarterback in the league down the path of failure.
