The Patriots' third-down offense is infuriatingly uncreative
FOXBORO -- No matter the down and distance, the Patriots offense has been horrendous over the first five weeks of the 2024 season. But it's been at its worst on third down, which once again proved costly in the team's 15-10 loss to a struggling Miami Dolphins team.
The Patriots were just 4-for-13 on third down on Sunday. New England is now converting just over 32 percent of their third-down tries on the season, which ranks 24th in the NFL.
That there are eight teams worse than the Patriots on third down (including the Dolphins, who went 2-for-11 on Sunday) is pretty incredible. But that doesn't change the fact that New England's play-calling on third down has been downright infuriating this season.
Despite the run game being the Patriots' best offensive attack -- with Rhamondre Stevenson and Antonio Gibson rushing for 141 yards on their 18 carries on Sunday -- Jacoby Brissett was asked to drop back and deliver a pass on all 13 third downs that New England faced against Miami.
The Patriots started the game with a three-and-out, as Brissett was sacked for a nine-yard loss on the first third down the team faced. They were able to convert on their second third down -- a third-and-1 at the Miami 34 -- when Brissett dumped it off to Stevenson, but it required the running back to fight for the necessary yardage.
The Patriots went with that dump to Rhamondre two other times on third down, and it didn't work either time. He got one yard on a third-and-15 at the Miami 16, which was followed by a missed field goal by Joey Slye. Then after Stevenson had run for eight yards on the first two downs of New England's second possession of the second half, he was dropped for a loss on that screen play on third down. Yes, a team that can barely move the ball a few yards at a time threw the ball behind the line of scrimmage on a third down, leading to one of the five three-and-outs by the New England offense on the day.
The Patriots faced a third-and-1 on their third drive of the game and may have potentially run it, but replacement center Nick Leverett was flagged for a false start for illegally moving the football. Facing a third-and-5, Brissett went to Ja'Lynn Polk down the right sideline but put a little too much mustard on the throw.
The team's best third-down play came out of halftime, when a scrambling Brissett hit Kayshon Boutte for 13 yards on a third-and-4 from the Miami 35. But the Pats got just two more yards after that and settled for a 38-yard field goal.
Brissett hit DeMario Douglas for 19 yards on the team's penultimate third down of the day, bringing the Patriot to the Miami 12 and setting up Polk's overturned touchdown. That touchdown-that-wasn't came on second down, and Brissett's third-down pass into the end zone went to no one in particular and fell incomplete.
Overall, Brissett was 6-for-12 for 38 yards on his third-down throws while also taking a nine-yard loss on a sack. That's not going to beat any team, including one that was struggling as much as the Dolphins.
The Patriots pass attack strikes zero fear in anyone, and teams must be giddy when New England drops back to pass on third down. Defensive backs know Brissett can't make the throw, and pass rushers know the New England offensive line can't protect him. Yet Alex Van Pelt keeps dialing up. pass plays, and when he doesn't, he has Brissett throw short passes that have no real chance of moving the chains.
The Patriots' offense doesn't have that go-to play they can rely on to move the ball. That one one high-percentage play where everyone knows what they're doing and is more probable than not to pick up a first down. (Think of all those Tom Brady wheel routes to the likes of Kevin Faulk/Shane Vereen/James White.) No one is reliable on this offense, starting with the quarterback.
Brissett was 18-for-34 for just 160 yards on Sunday, with 46 of those yards coming on their last-ditch drive while Miami was in a prevent defense. He's one tough dude to hang in there and take hit after hit (he was crunched nine times by the Dolphins on Sunday) but is failing to do the one thing an offense is supposed to do: Score points. The Pats can barely move the ball downfield, which is going to lead to a lot of loud cries for Drake Maye in the coming weeks.
The lack of any pass protection plays into New England's third-down woes and the absurd amount of penalties on Sunday made it hard for the offense to do anything. But it would be nice to see a few third-down runs given the team's best playmakers come out of the backfield. The only way the Patriots win is by running the ball, controlling the clock, and keeping the ball away from the other team.
The Patriots didn't run the ball enough on Sunday and they didn't control the clock at all. All those unsuccessful third downs led to the offense leaving the field and another heavy workload for the New England defense, which was clearly gassed in the fourth quarter as Miami scored the go-ahead touchdown.
An inability to convert on third down is just one of the many issues facing the New England offense this season. But a real lack of inventive play-calling is really hurting the team in those must-have-it situations.