2022 should be a huge wake up call for the Patriots

The New England Patriots’ 2022 season was a saddening one, and it should serve as a massive wake up call for the team who lacks an identity.  It become obvious quickly that the AFC East was one of, if not the best division in football.

As it’s gone for the past few years, the Buffalo Bills won the division and secured a high seed in the playoff race.  The New York Jets also appear to be extremely close to where they want to go, as they were 7-4 at one point this season despite the abysmal quarterback play they had.

The Miami Dolphins raced out to an 8-3 start before a rash of injuries and bad play nearly derailed their season.

The main issue here is that the Patriots seem to be circling the drain the AFC East.  I don’t think they have much of an identity, and all of the Bills, Jets, and Dolphins seem to be teams on an upward trend.

The Bills will be good for the next 10 years.  The Dolphins’ offense was lethal this year, and Tua Tagovailoa looked like an MVP candidate for a while.  If they can shore up their defense, they’ll be a deadly team.

The Jets’ roster is filled with talented young players, and I’d argue that they have the strongest roster in the division by far.  With the potential for a plethora of quarterbacks to be available this offseason, New York looks like they’re in a great position to land someone like Jimmy Garoppolo.

All of this should serve as a wake up call for the Patriots.  Not only do they need to get the offensive coordinator right, but they need to find higher-end playmakers.

The Bills have Stefon Diggs.  The Jets have Breece Hall and Garrett Wilson, and the Dolphins have Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle.

The Patriots have… Kendrick Bourne?

At risk of becoming even more irrelevant, New England needs to do some serious work this offseason.