Patriots Defenders Clearly Have Realized How Bad Offense Is

Adrian Phillips might not have meant to diss the New England Patriots offense after a Week 12 loss to the New York Giants on Sunday. But whether he meant to or not, his comments summarized the Mac Jones-slash-Bailey-Zappe-led group better than anything.

“We gave up 10 points, and lost the game two weeks in a row,” Phillips told reporters after New England’s 10-7 defeat at MetLife Stadium, per The Boston Herald’s Andrew Callahan. “So now, we’ve gotta give up zero; whatever we can (do) to get our offense the ball back and get a chance to win.”

It’s clear that Patriots defenders understand the position they are in. They know their offense is terrible.

New England’s starting quarterback has been benched four times this season, including in each of the last two games where a victory was within reach. The offense said quarterback has led ranked second to last in points scored and then added a seven-point performance in Week 12.

The Patriots on Sunday became the first team in 30 years to lose consecutive games when it allowed 10 points or less in each contest.

“If 10 ain’t enough, then we gotta bat 1.000, and give up zero,” Phillips said.

Patriots defensive end Deatrich Wise Jr. added: “We got to get more takeaways, get more turnovers and start scoring on defense too.”

While Phillip’s sentiments are admirable, they’re not realistic. That’s no longer the recipe for sustained success in the NFL. The best teams in the league rely heavily on their offense, and specifically on their quarterback. Those reasons are why the Patriots are in the position they’re in — arguably the worst team in the league.

Bill Belichick’s team has failed to develop the most important position in sports. Jones, now lightyears away from being the runner-up for Offensive Rookie of the Year, is all but finished. It’ll be a surprise if he plays out his rookie contract in New England, and that’s both because of his own mechanical issues and other problems around him.

Unfortunately for those on the Patriots defense, which lost two of its most impactful players to early-season injury with Matthew Judon and Christian Gonzalez, there’s no margin for error. They haven’t been perfect. And players are well-aware that’s what is needed.