Patriots: 3 positions Pats still must improve after win vs Jets

After falling short in a defensive slugfest against the Miami Dolphins in Week 1, the New England Patriots enjoyed a much-needed cakewalk victory over the lowly New York Jets at MetLife Stadium on Sunday.

It was just what the doctor ordered for Bill Belichick, who continued his dominance against rookie quarterbacks, as No. 2 overall pick Zach Wilson was picked off four times by the Patriots defense, including two on his first two passes.

If that somehow wasn’t enough to satisfy Belichick, surely Wilson getting booed off the field in his first home game did the trick, right?

We hope so. However, something tells us the Patriots head coach was up all night trying to figure out solutions to things that didn’t go well for New England.

After all, if any head coach can find flaws in a 25-6 road win against a division rival, it’s Belichick. With that in mind, let’s highlight a few positions that must improve before the schedule beefs up in Week 3 vs the Saints.

Patriots: 3 positions that need improvement after win vs Jets

3. Wide Receiver

Was anybody else expecting more from the Patriots passing game in this one? While Mac Jones held up well despite being under consistent pressure, he totaled just 186 yards through the air over 22 completions.

That amounts to just 6.2 yards per completion. The Jets’ pass defense hasn’t been the disaster many expected it to be, but those numbers are inexcusable. Does the offensive line deserve most of the blame for that? Probably, but the onus also falls on New England’s wide receivers to get open downfield.

For the game, Nelson Agholor and Kendrick Bourne combined for five receptions for 31 yards. Jakobi Meyers chipped in with four catches for 38 yards, but it doesn’t look great that James White led the team in receiving.

The Patriots’ WR corps disappointed against the Jets in Week 2.

Hunter Henry finished second and Jonnu Smith checked in right behind Meyers. Sorry, but that shouldn’t be the case vs a burnable secondary.

What if we told you that the Patriots haven’t attempted a pass in the end zone through eight quarters of football? That stat brings up memories from last year, which is pretty concerning given the Bills just hung 35 points on the Dolphins and New England just played against one of the worst D’s in the league.

The wide receivers need to step up going forward. Plain and simple.

2. Defensive Line

It’s admittedly difficult to nitpick the defense after they tallied four interceptions, four sacks, and didn’t allow a touchdown.

However, we expected the Patriots to completely neutralize the Jets’ rushing attack and the polar opposite happened. It looks even worse when you consider that New York’s offensive line is ravaged by injuries.

For the game, the Jets totaled 151 rushing yards at an efficient 4.7 yards per carry. With all due respect to Robert Saleh’s roster, the likes of Michael Carter, Ty Johnson and Tevin Coleman shouldn’t be gashing the Pats on the ground.

The Jets bullied the Patriots in the running game on Sunday.

Again, the performance gave us flashbacks to last season, when the Patriots ranked 26th in rushing yards allowed per game. In response, Belichick went out and signed Matt Judon, Davon Godchaux and Henry Anderson to bolster the DL. He also drafted Ronnie Perkins and Christian Barmore back in April.

While the Patriots currently rank 14th in rushing defense through two games, they’ve faced bang-average offenses. If New England is struggling to slow down Myles Gaskin, Malcolm Brown, Carter, Johnson and Coleman, we hate to think how the upper-echelon RBs are going to fare against them down the road.

The defensive line simply has to get a better push at the point of attack.

1. Right Tackle

We didn’t feel great about the Patriots’ right tackle situation when Trent Brown was ruled out with a calf injury. However, we’d by lying if we said we predicted that it’d be an utter catastrophe against the Jets’ depleted defensive line.

Yasir Durant, whom the Patriots acquired from the Chiefs in exchange for a 2022 seventh-round pick right before the roster deadline, got the start in place of Brown and he proved to be a turnstile at right tackle.

To say Durant blew his opportunity would be an understatement, as he allowed three sacks before halftime and was benched for versatile backup Justin Herron, who he ironically replaced in Week 1.

Patriots’ Yasir Durant cannot start at RT if Trent Brown is injured.

Though Belichick refrained from eviscerating Durant in his postgame pressure, it goes without saying the second-year pro is in the doghouse. That’s a tough spot for any young player, but it’s where Durant deserves to be.

It’s worth noting that Herron didn’t cover himself in glory, either, but he was markedly better than Durant. If Brown is unable to go in Week 3, expect Herron to get the start. If that doesn’t go well, expect Belichick to bring in reinforcements, because the Patriots’ offense hasn’t looked the same since Brown went down in Week 1.

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