The Patriots are halfway through the 2024 regular season and, for the second year in a row, find themselves 2-7 and in last place in the AFC East. While the record and position are the same, this is a completely different team than 2023, with Jerod Mayo installed as coach instead of Bill Belichick and Drake Maye at quarterback instead of Mac Jones.
So far, this new regime has been mixed. On a macro level, they are one of the worst teams in the league and if the season ended today, they would have the first overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft. This is due to a lack of talent, but also questionable coaching halfway. Arguably the lowest point of the season to this point came in London, with a 32-16 loss at the hands of the Jacksonville Jaguars in Week 7, when Mayo called his team and told reporters after the defeat that “We are a soft football team across the board.”
With this in mind, as you review these mid-season grades, you shouldn’t expect any marks left on the refrigerator.
However, if you were looking for a silver lining to this difficult first half, you would find it with Maye. The third overall pick has shown his potential on more than one occasion, and looks like he has the makings of a franchise quarterback. That said, the limited talent around him needs to improve to fully see his potential, but that’s a conversation for the offseason.
Here and now, let’s take a snapshot of where New England stands with nine weeks in the books and hand out our midseason grades.
Offense: D
Do you want to start with the positive news? What keeps the offense out of the ‘F’ category is almost exclusively Drake Maye. Momentum hasn’t felt like much to him through his first four starts, and he’s shown elite potential during that span. The arm talent is obvious and mobility has been a stellar weapon for the offense through his first four starts. In fact, he has led the team in rushing in three of his four starts, and the only time he didn’t was when he went out with a concussion. While Maye’s running ability is a strength, that head injury is a reminder that it shouldn’t be the center of his game. Instead, that mobility better serves to keep passing plays alive, as it did on last week’s game-tying touchdown against Tennessee.
Outside of Maye, there isn’t much to like about this offense.
The offensive line has been a story dating back to OTAs, as there didn’t seem to be enough talent there to keep whoever is under center. This has largely held true for the first nine weeks. New England has allowed the second-most sacks (31) this season and has allowed the second-highest pressure rate (41.2%). Mayo has mixed and matched several different combinations, but it is clear that this unit is not designed for the long term.
The line’s problems have also manifested themselves in the running game, but the backs aren’t doing the team any favors either. Rhamondre Stevenson was plagued with fumbles to start the year and has averaged 3.6 yards per attempt. So far, the team ranks 24th in rushing yards per game (111.0).
While Hunter Henry has provided a solid outlet for Maye through the air, the pass-catching unit, particularly the wide receivers, has been a major disappointment. Rookie receivers Ja’Lynn Polk and Javon Baker have had little to no impact, while veteran KJ Osborn has also recorded just seven receptions on the year. Kayshon Boutte has been a bright spot, and DeMario Douglas has caught 72.9% of his targets, but New England is still glaringly missing a game-breaking skill position player.
Defense: D
Injuries and departures have taken their toll on the Patriots defense. Before the year, the team traded pass rusher Matthew Judon and lost defensive tackle Christian Barmore (arguably their best player) indefinitely to blood clots. As the year has progressed, linebacker Ja’Whaun Bentley suffered a torn pectoral in Week 2, while safety Jabrill Peppers has been placed on the Commissioner’s Exempt List on charges of assault and drug possession. That’s a major loss of talent for what was statistically a strong unit for the season again, but even accounting for that, this unit has struggled mightily.
They can’t stop the run, as the unit is giving up the sixth-most rushing yards of the season. They are allowing opposing quarterbacks to post a 97.5 passer rating against them, which also ranks in the bottom half of the league. They also can’t get out of bounds, allowing opponents to convert 45.5% of their third-down opportunities (fifth-highest).
If you ask what this unit does well, it’s hard to find a concrete answer.
Special teams: C
When special teams is your highest scoring area, that’s not a good thing. That said, that’s where New England is in 2024. Joey Slye has had his ups and downs. While he made 12 of his 15 field goal opportunities, those three misses came in one-score games. That backwards play can be expanded to the entire special teams unit, as there have been ups and downs but also some downs. For example, Marcus Jones was possibly the team’s most electrifying player in the second leg. On the other hand, however, there have also been some return failures this season, most notably a 96-yard punt return touchdown by the Jaguars in Week 7. That puts this unit squarely in the ‘C range ‘.
Coach: D-
Even if Belichick had lost his fastball in recent years, it’s a difficult situation for Mayo to find itself in replacing a franchise icon. To make the job even more difficult, the staff assigned to him is in poor condition. While that’s all true, Mayo hasn’t exactly endeared himself to this new role. At times, he has seemed like a first-time head coach, whether sending mixed messages to the media about the quarterback situation with Maye and Jacoby Brissett or walking back his “soft” comments less than 24 hours after making them in London.
There have also been some questions about this first half of Mayo’s control of the dressing room. the word “riot” It was whispered about in early October, and several off-field issues have painted the team in a negative light. To Mayo’s credit, the team responded after being called up in London with a Week 8 win over the Jets, but there are still questions about acceptance that need to be fully developed.
Meanwhile, the play on the field has also been disconcerting. Mayo rose to coach after being an All-Pro middle linebacker in the league and the de facto defensive coordinator in New England under Belichick. Given that history, it’s concerning to see how poorly the defense has played under his direction, particularly against the run. That should be an area of expertise for Mayo, and the fact that it’s a glaring weakness is not a good sign.
While the offense under coordinator Alex Van Pelt isn’t exactly high-flying, the team’s development of Maye over nine weeks is what keeps them out of the ‘F’ range in my grade book.
