Patriots: 6 Frustrations from Week 17 loss

6. Poor pass defense

Without a doubt, the dismal offensive performance was the source of most frustrations yesterday. But we’ll get to that in a second. To get things started, let’s talk about the underperforming New England pass defense.

Top 15 Patriots Moments of 2015

This time around, the Patriots didn’t have the excuse of an absent Devin McCourty. In fact, McCourty was at fault on numerous occasions, most notably on the longest passing play of the day, DeVante Parker’s 46-yard catch. After Logan Ryan tipped the ball, McCourty just stood there and watched as Parker caught the ball off the deflection. D-Mac has got to fly toward the ball and swat it down, pick it off or level Parker—he did none of those things.

On the day, the Patriots surrendered 350 yards through the air. Four Dolphins receivers caught at least one pass for over 20 yards, including Parker, Greg Jennings, Dion Sims and Damien Williams. The Patriots must sure-up the holes that emerged in the secondary in Week 17 before they face a playoff team. The Pittsburgh Steelers, for example, could have ripped the Patriots wide open yesterday.

Next: 5. Punts, punts and more punts