After the Patriots failed to take down the Raiders in their season opener, there were a lot of concerns about the state of the offense despite the return of Josh McDaniels. The longtime offensive coordinator received a lot of praise throughout the offseason, particularly for how he spent his time away from the NFL since he was abruptly let go by the Raiders in 2023.
He reportedly worked with a few universities' football programs to revamp his playbook and get more familiar with how quarterbacks are playing today. Because of that, there was a lot of hope about what he could do with Drake Maye, who is a vastly different player from Tom Brady.
We didn't see much of that in Week 1, but the offense appeared drastically improved against the Dolphins last week, prompting even more questions about what the identity of the group might be.
Because Maye looked especially impressive, fans have hoped that what we saw in Week 2 will be more along the lines of what McDaniels has planned for the offense long-term. We don't know yet if that's the case, but he seemed to imply just that while speaking to reporters on Thursday.
The best might still be yet to come from the Patriots' redesigned offense under Josh McDaniels
The entire Patriots team was inevitably going to be discussed a lot this season, and not just because of the roster turnover or the new regime led by Mike Vrabel. A big reason for that was the offense under McDaniels and the second-year jump of Maye, so it's unsurprising that the biggest concerns have also surrounded the group.
That led to reporters asking McDaniels about the biggest difference between their Week 1 and Week 2 performances, to which he stated that what we saw against the Dolphins is more the style of football they want to play moving forward.
Josh McDaniels asked the biggest difference he saw from the Patriots' offense between Week 1 and Week 2:
— Alex Barth (@RealAlexBarth) September 18, 2025
"We played more the way we wanted to play. Tried to control the situations. We were able to stay out of, most of the time, long-yardage situations. They deserve credit for…
That's certainly great news for the analysts and fans who applauded their efforts in a hostile environment and getting a win in Miami for the first time in six years.
Some things need to be dealt with still, even though the offense performed far better than the week before, like the inclusion of Stefon Diggs and DeMario Douglas. They haven't been a big part of what the offense has done so far, and that should change in the upcoming games.
Based on what McDaniels is saying, those changes could be coming as soon as this week against the Steelers, a much more difficult opponent than the Patriots have faced so far this season. It could be the first real test of what he wants the offense's identity to be, which will be fascinating to watch after what we've already seen through two games.