FOXBORO, Mass. — Despite scoring 38 points twice in a five-day span, the New England Patriots’ offense has yet to reach its full potential. And that’s a scary proposition for their remaining opponents.
Speaking in the aftermath of Thursday night’s 38-24 victory over the Indianapolis Colts, several Patriots players expressed optimism about the offense’s upward trajectory but lamented missed opportunities that allowed the Colts to hang around deep into the second half.
“It’s about points,” said quarterback Tom Brady, who threw three touchdown passes in the win both also had two interceptions, both of which came on catchable passes. “… Ultimately, we’ve got to score more points, and we had more opportunities out there.
“We scored 38, which is great, but we have more in us this week. Last week, we scored I think 38. I think we have more in us, and I think that’s what we’re looking at. So we’ve got a lot of room to grow, and we need to make a lot of improvements in a short period of time.”
The Patriots, who had managed just 10 points in a Week 3 loss to the Detroit Lions before blowing out the Miami Dolphins on Sunday, built a commanding 24-3 lead by halftime but failed to score in the third quarter. They went three-and-out on their first drive of the second half, and each of their next two series ended with Brady interceptions in Colts territory.
The first bounced off wide receiver Chris Hogan’s hands and into the arms of safety Matthias Farley. Farley also had a hand in the second, delivering a hit on tight end Rob Gronkowski that jarred the ball loose. It deflected right to linebacker Najee Goode, who hauled it in at his own 4-yard line for Brady’s sixth interception of the season.
“It was basically the third quarter, and we just weren’t doing our jobs,” Gronkowski said. “That one (pass) that they got the interception off my hands, I just have to bring that in. Mistakes like that definitely put the offense down and give the other team a chance. So I just have to correct those mistakes and play hard.”
The Patriots eventually rebounded in the fourth quarter, with Josh Gordon and Sony Michel each scoring a 34-yard touchdown (receiving and rushing, respectively) to put the game out of reach.
Thursday marked the first time the Patriots’ offense had been at full strength this season, with wide receiver Julian Edelman returning from his four-game suspension and Gordon, who made his New England debut last week, continuing to progress. And, like the offense as a whole, Edelman and Gordon both made some impressive plays but showed room for growth.
Edelman caught seven passes on nine targets for 57 yards, including three on New England’s game-opening touchdown drive, but also dropped what would have been an easy 20-plus-yard reception on the ensuing possession. Gordon, meanwhile, looked like the second coming of Randy Moss on his touchdown grab but finished with just two catches.
Gronkowski also was held without a touchdown catch for the fourth consecutive game and showed poor ball security on Brady’s second pick, though he did finish with six catches on seven targets for 75 yards.
“We always try to get into a good rhythm regardless of who we’re throwing it to,” offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels said Friday in a conference call. “But our overall execution (Thursday) — you know, (Edelman) helped us at the beginning and certainly made some plays throughout, but I’d say there’s plenty of things we need to improve on.”
The Patriots will need another prolific performance from their offense next Sunday when Patrick Mahomes and the high-flying Kansas City Chiefs come to town.
