5 things New England Patriots must improve on

Mark L. Baer-USA TODAY Sports

1. Tackling

Last but certainly not least, the Patriots must tackle better moving forward. Anderson’s touchdown run in overtime was a terrible display of tackling (I’m looking at you, Duron Harmon), and things didn’t get much better against the Eagles. On Sproles’ punt return touchdown, Darius Fleming inexcusably whiffed near the sideline, and even though he’s a punter, Ryan Allen could have at least obstructed Sproles a bit better.

The Texans may not have the highest-flying offense in the NFL, but the Patriots will have a hard time shaking off this losing streak if they continue to have problems bringing down ball carriers. AFC powerhouses Cincinnati and Denver will make the Pats pay dearly in January if the tackling issues persist.

So there you have it. The Patriots must improve in the areas of intercepting the ball, defending the run, offensive play calling, protection of Brady and tackling. Mark these words: as long as the Patriots fix these five problems this week and prove it on the field Sunday night, this losing streak will become a memory, a rough two-game stretch which will get smaller and smaller in the rear-view window as the Patriots get healthy again and embark on the postseason.

Next: Week 14 AFC Power Rankings: Pats fall to No. 3

It can only get better from here.