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Could Matt Patricia turn into the offensive coordinator in ’23?

By Lou Scataglia

LAS VEGAS, NEVADA - AUGUST 26: Senior football advisor Matt Patricia of the New England Patriots walks onto the field during warmups before a preseason game against the Las Vegas Raiders at Allegiant Stadium on August 26, 2022 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Chris Unger/Getty Images)
LAS VEGAS, NEVADA - AUGUST 26: Senior football advisor Matt Patricia of the New England Patriots walks onto the field during warmups before a preseason game against the Las Vegas Raiders at Allegiant Stadium on August 26, 2022 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Chris Unger/Getty Images) /
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The Patriots do not officially have an offensive coordinator on their staff, but Matt Patricia has been calling plays and there is some life to the unit.  The up and down offense is perhaps the biggest reason why the Patriots do not feel nearly as good as they were last year.

Josh McDaniels simply knew how to call plays and run an offense, but now that he is in Las Vegas, the team has taken a step back on that side of the ball.  It makes sense when you realize that Matt Patricia is a more defensive coach, so essentially putting him in charge of the offense is a giant gamble.

Over the last few games, though, the offense has played well and might be playing good enough for Patricia to retain this role in 2023, even if there could be better options out there.  On the season, the Patriots have the 19th ranked scoring offense in the NFL, putting up an average of 21.7 points per game.

Given their strong scoring defense, the offense doesn’t necessarily need to be great.  However, the unit is averaging about a touchdown less per game than they were in 2021.  It does make sense though that in the first year of a new play-caller, the offense is not as good.

There is reason to believe that if Patricia retained these duties in 2023, the offense could put together a better product.  The Patriots have scored at least 22 points in three of their last four games, and have scored at least 25 points in five games this year.

The entire product really has not been “bad,” but the inept redzone execution and weird offensive line mixtures we’ve seen this year show the ugly that you may get with a defensive coach running the unit.

I would expect the Patriots to perhaps look into a legitimate offensive coach for a coordinator role in 2023, but under Matt Patricia, the unit has not been bad and there is an argument to give him another year.

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