Patriots: 6 Frustrations from Week 17 loss

3. Offensive line struggles

Clearly, the Patriots are desperate for Sebastian Vollmer to be back in the lineup at left tackle. Even LaAdrian Waddle would have been an upgrade over Cameron Fleming yesterday, who had a rough go of it blocking Olivier Vernon.

2016 AFC playoffs: Rooting guide for Patriots fans

Brady was wacked six times and sacked twice, and he was visibly playing with a degree of timidness. Also, the fact that the Patriots simply refused to pass the ball in the first half indicated the level of confidence Josh McDaniels had in the offensive line protecting Brady against one of the highest-paid defensive line in football.

Thankfully, the Patriots got out of this game with a healthy quarterback even though the offensive line struggled so much. While Brady called his ankle “sore” after the game, it appears that he will be fine for the playoffs. Bullet dodged.

Next: 2. Misconnections with Gronk, ‘Dola