Patriots Need To Make These Changes For Continued Success

The Patriots will claim they didn’t shock themselves, but it’s tough to argue that Sunday’s victory over the Cincinnati Bengals was anything but surprising.

New England entered as two-score underdogs, and while some found that disrespectful, it ultimately made sense. Cincinnati is viewed as a legitimate contender to reach Super Bowl LIX, so it made sense that it was favored over a team that legitimately might be one of the three worst in the NFL.

It all came together for the Patriots on Sunday, though.

Can it happen again? We aren’t so sure, especially if a few things don’t change as Jerod Mayo’s squad progresses further into the season.

INCREASE AMOUNT OF PLAY-ACTION

The Patriots had a clear and obvious offensive plan against the Bengals, running the ball more frequently than anyone but the Pittsburgh Steelers in Week 1, according to trends shared by Chad Graff of The Athletic. Mayo says they’ll continue to do that, which is tremendous news given how great Rhamondre Stevenson looked, but it also should open up more opportunities in the passing game.

New England ranked 21st in play-action percentage over the weekend, which was somewhat surprising given we all expected it to lead the world in that category throughout the season. Why so low in Week 1? Chukwuma Okorafor and Vederian Lowe likely are the primary reasons, as they struggled mightily when left on an island in the passing game.

Jacoby Brissett was notably crunched when rolling out in the red zone during the second quarter.

It’s a lot easier said than done, but finding a way to block up those play-action passes, and increasing the number of them, could go a long way in opening up a different dimension on the offense. Stevenson surely wouldn’t mind it.

GET JA’LYNN POLK INVOLVED

Polk was easily the most impressive wide receiver in the offense Sunday, but for some reason didn’t seem to be involved early in Brissett’s progressions. New England didn’t even have him on the field all that often, giving him the least amount of snaps of the four wide receivers who played.

That needs to change.

Polk was wide open several times in Cincinnati, one of which could have resulted in a touchdown. He was only targeted once, making a 6-yard reception that displayed his strength at the catch-point. The Patriots would do themselves a favor by giving him more opportunities.

START EXPLORING LEFT TACKLE OPTIONS

Okorafor and Lowe can’t be the best possible options.

Okorafor was benched during the second offensive series of the game. Lowe, despite being injured, replaced him to provide a minor improvement. Brissett still took seven hits, though.

The Patriots have a few internal options to experiment with. Zach Thomas and Demontrey Jacobs were picked up on waivers prior to the season, and while they’re still learning the system, it’s becoming more and more likely they will be given an opportunity. Caleb Jones is a behemoth (6-foot-9, 370 pounds) on the practice squad, so at least there would be more of him to run around than the other guys.

New England doesn’t need to go out and panic-sign a guy like David Bakhtiari. It does make sense for the Patriots to consider making a move, though, if not only for the fact that it could help them ease into other changes. It’ll take time to find the right guy, but what better time to start than now?