There's no doubt that the Patriots are in a prime drafting scenario with four games left in the 2024 season, holding the third pick in next spring's draft and are atop the teams that aren't "quarterback-needy." But that doesn't mean New England shouldn't try to finish the season on a positive note, and starting with Sunday's game at Arizona, the Patriots have some opportunities to play spoiler for some teams hoping to lock down a playoff position.
The Cardinals may be 6-7, but have an outside shot at winning the weak NFC West, and likely need to beat the Patriots to keep their chances of catching the 8-5 Seahawks and 7-6 Los Angeles Rams alive.
Drake Maye and the Patriots have shown signs throughout the season, but just aren't there yet. Rested and coming off a bye week, can the Patriots put the Cardinals into the NFL's graveyard?
Three things the Patriots must do to defeat Arizona
1. Stop the run
Between quarterback Kyler Murray and tailback James Conner, Arizona is set up to have a field day against a Patriots' defense that has been putrid against the run. Conner is on pace for a 1,000-yard season, putting up 863 yards in 13 games, while Murray has 444 yards on the ground.
If New England doesn't contain those two guys, the defense will have a long day. If the Patriots are too aggressive with their blitzes, Murray can burn them by extending plays and using his legs.
2. The kid QB needs to be special
How many times have we said this in this space this season? Maye is clearly the Patriots' best player on offense and has shown to be the team's franchise quarterback of the future despite playing with fixer-upper receivers and offensive linemen.
Maye can be aggressive against an Arizona defense that hasn't had a penchant for creating turnovers (only six interceptions on the season). I'd like to see Maye use his legs a little bit more, which he hasn't done very much in the last couple of games. I'm not saying Maye needs to sling it 50 times for the Patriots to win, but he needs to be the best player on the field.
3. Coach to win, not to lose.
Jerod Mayo needs to get out of his own way. It's as simple as that. A big reason the Lions are 12-1 is the aggression of Dan Campbell on fourth down, and his players respond well to that. Players are not going to respond positively to a coach who punts on fourth-and-short in his opponent's territory, which Mayo has chosen to do way too much this season.
It's why may fans and some in the media are putting him on the hot seat even though is head coaching career is only 13 games old. The Patriots have nothing to lose at this point, so you might as well be aggressive. Especially in the red zone, where the Patriots have struggled to finish drives.