offense

What we saw against the Rams was McDaniels finding the perfect blend of old-school Tom Brady (23 of 35, 304 yards, four touchdowns), and power running that McDaniels wants to implement for the bigger games down the road (149 yards on 22 carries for Steven Ridley and Shane Vereen). And the Patriots didn’t have to do anything exotic — fake jet screens, throwbacks to Brady, or put two extra linemen on the field — to do it. “I think we’re at our best when we do that and not overanalyze stuff or anything, and we’re able to get it and really go,” receiver Wes Welker said. Amen.

The Patriots have had their issues across the board, but the team’s offense, which is supposed to be its leading unit, has most consistently struggled in a quartet of fourth-quarter mishaps against the Ravens, Broncos, Seahawks and Jets. Here’s a look: Scoring Fourth quarter In those four games, the Patriots have been outscored, 44-9, in the final quarter. Rest of the game The Patriots have outscored their opponents, 208-119, in the other 24 quarters this season.

Step 1: Figure out what exactly it is that you’re good at. Are you a running team? Are you a play-action team? Is it better to spread out the opponent and let Brady be Brady?

Earlier in the year, Tom Brady acknowledged that the New England Patriots were shifting philosophically under new/old coordinator Josh McDaniels, which is why he wasn’t surprised to see the fast start by the running game. That evolution certainly was affected by injuries to tight end Aaron Hernandez, who was out for nearly a month, and receiver Wes Welker’s would-be replacement, Julian Edelman, who hasn’t played since Week 3. As it turns out, Welker’s still pretty good at age 31, and the Patriots have relied on him to make up the difference. But it’s fair to wonder now if the Patriots still haven’t found their identity on that side of the ball. It’s hard to blame the offense for New England’s three losses, particularly when a missed field goal cost the team a win over Arizona, and the defense crumbled late against Baltimore and the Seattle Seahawks. Still, the Patriots didn’t get better as those games went on, and couldn’t close opponents out when given the opportunity. These issues are fixable. McDaniels is sharp, Brady is elite, and it’s a good bet they’re going to be better in November and December than they are now. But you have to wonder if this transitional period could wind up being costly, in terms of playoff positioning, in the long run.