New England Patriots 4 Downs Preview: Week 14 vs Kansas City Chiefs

3rd Down: Will the offense show up before it’s too late?

We’re going to dedicate a third straight down to focusing on the offense again, because let’s face it: that’s what’s holding this team back right now, and what’s been holding them back all season. If the New England Patriots still have serious hopes for making it back to their fourth straight Super Bowl appearance, they need to figure out what ails their offense and cure it… and fast, because time is running out.

Last week, the offense figured their problems out but it happened too late, with the Patriots finally getting going late in the fourth quarter when the Texans moved into more of a prevent defense. New England then simply ran out of time.

Even if Brandon Bolden had recovered the onside kick, would they have scored to tie or take the lead? We can only imagine.

But in this case against the Chiefs (a team they might very well face in the playoffs a month from now back at Gillette), they can’t wait until there’s just five minutes left in the game to start scoring touchdowns. The Patriots need to execute their game plan early on before it is too late.