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The New England Patriots are back from their bye Monday, returning for a stretch run they hope leaves them with the No. 1 seed in the AFC and a first-round bye in the playoffs.<\/p>\n
But tough back-to-back games loom. Up first: a visit from the 9-4 Buffalo Bills.<\/p>\n
The Patriots have the benefit of four practices this week, one more than usual. As they get back to work, let\u2019s answer some of your questions. What could still hold this team back this season? What has worked so well for them? And what can we expect next season?<\/p>\n
(Note: Submitted questions have been edited for clarity and length. All stats below come from TruMedia.)<\/em><\/p>\n What are the biggest factors that have helped the Patriots to significantly exceed expectations? \u2014 George G.<\/strong><\/p>\n Drake Maye is the most obvious, yet it\u2019s still worth mentioning how absurd his second-year leap has been. It\u2019s the kind of jump that\u2019s going to be talked about for years to come, with other fan bases clinging to him as an example of what they hope their rookie quarterback can do.<\/p>\n It\u2019s easy to grow numb to it, but it\u2019s no less absurd that Maye is 23 years old, was stuck on a terrible team last season and is now arguably the front-runner for the league\u2019s MVP award over Matthew Stafford, Patrick Mahomes, Josh Allen and Lamar Jackson.<\/p>\n The other massive factor, of course, is Mike Vrabel. Put simply, the NFL is a head coach-and-quarterback league. And it\u2019s amazing how starkly different the coaching staff is from not just last season, but also the final few years under Bill Belichick.<\/p>\n Putting those two aside, I\u2019d point to two other factors. First, the offensive line is so drastically better (in part because of better coaching). Second, the rookie draft class is faring so much better than last season\u2019s. It\u2019s probably been underdiscussed that four of their first five draft picks are either full-time starters or major factors.<\/p>\n What do you think could keep the Pats from finding playoff success or winning the Super Bowl? Lack of production from the run game, opposing teams\u2019 abilities to throw on this secondary, consistency of the O-line, red zone offense or something else? \u2014 Jack R.<\/strong><\/p>\n The red zone struggles are concerning, and yet it\u2019s something else that I think could keep the Patriots from winning in the playoffs.<\/p>\n The NFL is a passing league, and that\u2019s generally more important than a good running game. But you can\u2019t have a terrible<\/em> running game and get to the Super Bowl. Frankly, it\u2019s hard to get there with even a below-average group.<\/p>\n Of the 20 teams that reached the Super Bowl in the last 10 years, only one \u2014 the 2021 Cincinnati Bengals \u2014 ranked in the bottom 10 in the league in rushing EPA per play and rushing success rate. (The next-worst rushing team of that group was the 2021 Los Angeles Rams, who beat the Bengals in the Super Bowl.)<\/p>\n The Patriots rank 29th in EPA per rush and 30th in success rate. Their great passing game and a soft schedule have helped them overcome that, but unless the run game improves, I don\u2019t think they have enough to win the Super Bowl.<\/p>\n Would love your thoughts on the run game. Is it the O-line\u2019s fault or the runners\u2019? \u2014 Dmitriy D.<\/strong><\/p>\n With a running game this bad, it\u2019s rarely just the O-line or the running backs. But if I have to assign blame, I\u2019d put a bit more on the front five than the backs.<\/p>\n That\u2019s in part because TreVeyon Henderson ranks fifth in the NFL in yards after contact (3.81), a sign that he\u2019s doing a majority of the work. Now, his stats are a little hard to base things on because he has been so boom or bust. But it\u2019s also a sign that the outside rushes (which Henderson primarily gets) are working, while the team is struggling on the interior ones.<\/p>\n To that point, no running back (among 48 qualifying backs in the NFL) has been hit at or before the line of scrimmage at a higher rate than Rhamondre Stevenson (58.4 percent), who gets more of the work between the tackles. Stevenson is averaging just 0.39 yard before contact this season, the second-lowest number in the league.<\/p>\n So to me, it\u2019s less about the back than the runs that aren\u2019t working \u2014 which are the ones up the middle.<\/p>\n Kyle Williams has had a few explosive plays, including his great touchdown catch last week. There are reports that he is consistently getting open but not getting the ball. Is he too raw and unreliable to get more touches this season? \u2014 William D.<\/strong><\/p>\n There have been a few too many miscommunications between Williams and Maye and too much inconsistency from the rookie to expect him to take on a meaningfully bigger role in the final few games.<\/p>\n I think he\u2019s just a depth guy down the stretch, and then the team hopes he can take a big step in the offseason.<\/p>\n After the momentum gained against the Giants, does the bye week help or hurt the Pats going into the Bills game? Will they come back stronger or lose steam? \u2014 Dan B.<\/strong><\/p>\n I don\u2019t put too much stock into momentum from week to week. Remember, the Patriots\u2019 last game before \u201cMonday Night Football\u201d was an ugly win in Cincinnati.<\/p>\n So I actually think this is a good time for the bye. Plus, Will Campbell\u2019s injury is significant. The more time off they can give him, the better.<\/p>\n Who will be the defensive coordinator next season? Has fill-in Zak Kuhr proven enough? \u2014 Gregg D.<\/strong><\/p>\n It\u2019s an interesting question that\u2019s hard to answer at the moment, given the sensitive situation with Terrell Williams undergoing treatment for prostate cancer.<\/p>\n If he\u2019s able to coach next season, it\u2019s presumably still his job. If not, I think these final few games will go a long way in determining if Kuhr takes over the position on a full-time basis. If the team plays well, he\u2019ll probably be the leading candidate.<\/p>\n If they don\u2019t, it seems likely Vrabel would turn to Shane Bowen. Bowen and Kuhr have a good relationship, and Bowen was part of the reason Kuhr worked for the Giants last season, so maybe there is an avenue for them to work together running the defense.<\/p>\n Vederian Lowe wasn\u2019t a turnstile against the Giants. Was it a turning point, or is this just a dream? (If so, please don\u2019t wake me.) \u2014 Steve K.<\/strong><\/p>\n I actually think this can be sustainable for a few games. Not that Lowe is suddenly going to turn into Matt Light, but in this structure with this coaching staff, he can be fine.<\/p>\n It\u2019s widely viewed that the offensive line coach is the position coach who can make the biggest impact on one group. The Patriots saw the benefit in that for years with Dante Scarnecchia.<\/p>\n Now they\u2019re getting a boost in going from a first-time O-line coach last season to one of the league\u2019s most accomplished in Doug Marrone. I think that\u2019s a big reason Lowe should be fine for a few games.<\/p>\n As a UK-based Pats fan, how much sleep am I going to lose next season when they get picked for more prime-time games? \u2014 Matthew L.<\/strong><\/p>\n On Tuesday morning, my wife slid me a coffee after a few hours of sleep (thanks to our 4-year-old waking up early the morning after \u201cMonday Night Football\u201d) and remarked that at least we had made it through all the team\u2019s night games. (I didn\u2019t have the heart to bring up the potential flex for the Week 16 Ravens game \u2014 or the playoffs.)<\/p>\n But I did give her an early warning \u2014 get ready for five or six prime-time games next season.<\/p>\n This season, the Chiefs set the record with seven scheduled prime-time games, while the Cowboys have six.<\/p>\n The allure of Maye, Vrabel and a premier franchise means that those of us with little kids \u2014 and those of you in the UK \u2014 are likely to need lots of coffee next season.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Despite the team’s 11-2 record, the Patriots’ run game has struggled this season. Is that their Achilles’ heel as the playoffs approach?<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":39259,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[9],"tags":[74],"class_list":["post-39258","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-new-england-patriots","tag-new-england-patriots"],"yoast_head":"\n