The New England Patriots went to Munich, Germany, to play the Detroit Lions after doing nothing to improve the team at the NFL trade deadline. The result was eminently predictable.
They were flattened by the Lions at Allianz Arena, specifically by running back Jahmyr Gibbs, who torched them for 252 all-purpose yards and two touchdowns.
They predictably lost 35-10 in a game that wasn't nearly that close. It followed their Week 9 home blowout loss to the Packers, 45-27. To make matters worse, the only player who gives them a chance to win, Drake Maye, injured his ankle early, didn't return, and his status going forward is uncertain.
One question to ask is why the Patriots, and specifically Josh McDaniels, didn't use tight end Hunter Henry more after Maye was injured. Henry had two catches for 22 yards early in the game, but only one additional target after Tommy DeVito took over the offense.
Unfortunately, DeVito experienced firsthand what Maye has been dealing with all season long, and also last season.
Drake Maye's injury was no surprise considering the Patriots' bad luck this season
The only surprise about Maye getting hurt was that it took 10 games for it to happen. He has been sacked, harried, hurried, and hit all season, and it's a miracle he hasn't gone out with an injury before.
This injury can be placed smack dab on left tackle Will Campbell's nose. Campbell hit Lions edge pass rusher Aidan Hutchinson once on the play that injured Maye. But then, he failed to maintain his blocks on Hutchinson until the play ended.
That gaffe directly led to Hutchinson sacking the quarterback, injuring his ankle, ending his day, and, with that, any chance the Patriots had to take home a win.
Why McDaniels didn't utilize Henry more is another head-scratcher. But that's nothing new for the offensive coordinator who's stuck in an early-2000s time warp.
His predictable, mostly vanilla play-calling is leaving whoever is playing quarterback at risk because the team has one of the worst offensive lines in the NFL. To put an exclamation point on that, the O-line surrendered a ridiculous five sacks against the Lions, bringing the season total to an unconscionable 25.
McDaniels is proving, game after game, that he was the wrong choice to lead the Patriots offense. Vrabel made the hire, and he's culpable. He has little clue how to use Maye, a dual-threat run-and-pass quarterback. Ironically, when he actually does depart from predictability, it usually works. Then, it's abandoned.
The New England Patriots' offensive line is offensive
The Patriots' offensive play-calling is so predictable that, coupled with their sieve-like O-line, it puts their quarterbacks in jeopardy on virtually every play. Still, an already poor, injury-riddled offensive line is at the heart of the problem, but that's a different discussion.
Even before the Detroit game, Maye had led the NFL in scrambles with 28. It's an unacceptable situation precipitated by the team's lackluster personnel operation. And McDaniels' lack of diversification and deception in his offensive play-calling does nothing to take any of the pressure off his quarterbacks.
Whether it's not using Henry against the Lions, his predictable play-calling, or just being incapable of taking advantage of Maye's dual-threat abilities, McDaniels might be in over his head.
Massive changes are required both in personnel, and to the coaching staff this offseason, which can't begin soon enough.
The Patriots' 2026 season is evolving into a debacle and is now toast. They are on to 2027, whether they admit it or not.
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