The New England Patriots offense is struggling this season and play-caller Matt Patricia has come under fire for his role in their problems. Patricia is the former Patriots defensive coordinator -- and Lions head coach -- and has not excelled in his new role.
The Patriots offense has the sixth fewest touchdowns this season, their first down percentage is among the lowest and the number of sacks their quarterbacks have taken is among the highest. Quarterback Mac Jones often looks lost in the pocket and his scrambling is seldom successful. Their red-zone offense has failed, especially recently, with seven straight empty trips. With a solid defense, it is clear the offense is a main reason for their losses.
Arizona Cardinals defensive coordinator Vance Joseph evaluated the Patriots' offense ahead of their Week 14 Monday night matchup. He complimented parts of the New England offense, but said he can tell that it is a defensive mind making the calls.
"I see an offense that's running the football well. It's a very conservative pass game -- lot of screens, all kind of screens," Joseph said, via NFL.com. "It's how a defensive guy would call offensive plays, right? 'Let's not turn the ball over, let's get four yards a play, and let's try to burn clock.' That's what they're doing and that's what he's going to do on Monday night. He's going to be patient. Maybe take a shot from time to time. But for the most part, it's run game, it's quick game, and it's screens."
It is not an outright insult to Patricia, but no offense wants to look like they are run by someone other than an offensive expert. Joseph continued, saying the offense does have a lot of potential and explaining how he views Jones.
"It's scary when you watch the group because they have so much talent around Mac, and Mac's a good, young quarterback. He can process information quickly, the ball's out of his hands quickly. He's very, very smart," he said. "So you're kind of waiting for it explode, because they have so much talent on offense. But it's been run, quick game and it's been more screens. Hopefully they don't change that much Monday for us."
Joseph not wanting them to change their approach is far from a compliment and means he believes the Patriots offensive schemes are not top-tier. No one person is responsible for the
