The 2018 season has been an absolutely wild ride for the New England Patriots. Normally one of the most prepared team when December rolls around, this incarnation of the Patriots is still struggling to find its’ identity. This task is made even harder by the recent departure of wide receiver Josh Gordon. With Gordon now done for the season, the Patriots face an interesting dilemma. Offensively speaking, the New England Patriots identity is a complete mystery, and that could actually work to New England’s advantage.

Make no mistake, this offense is less explosive without Gordon. That said, the Patriots have the opportunity to make the most out of a bad situation. If the Patriots can find an identity, there won’t be enough time for the rest of the league to identify New England’s weaknesses. This makes the team less predictable, which, in turn, makes the Patriots more dangerous.

New England Patriots Identity A Dangerous Unknown

Some people may rush to compare New England’s offense without Gordon to the first three weeks of the season. Gordon initially arrived prior to Week Three but didn’t make his debut until Week Four. During the first three weeks of the season, the Patriots offense averaged a measly 19 points per game, including two blowout losses to the Jacksonville Jaguars and Detroit Lions.

However, making this comparison ignores the fact that Julian Edelman missed those same games. As great as Gordon was, Julian Edelman was always the true top wide receiver on the team. Gordon may have had more yards, but Edelman and quarterback Tom Brady have an unparalleled mind meld which elevates the rest of the offense.

Edelman’s return perfectly coincided with Gordon’s arrival, so opposing defenses have yet to see a Patriots offense operating with only Edelman. Because of this, defenses don’t know how the 2018 Patriots will function.

Losing good players obviously hurts, but it’s not like this offense lacks talent. Edelman is playing like he never tore his ACL, Chris Hogan has a history of success in this system and has actually performed well when given the chance. Likewise, Phillip Dorsett has played well in his limited opportunities. Rob Gronkowski isn’t as good as his old self, but he’s still an above-average tight end. Similarly, Tom Brady is still a top-10 quarterback, even if he’s not the MVP-caliber player he once was.

Even if the aerial attack can’t get going, the running game should be effective. Per Football Outsiders, the Patriots have the third-ranked run blocking line in the league. This line is more than capable of opening holes in the running game for the talented trio of Sony Michel, Rex Burkhead, and James White. All three can be receiving threats out of the backfield, which increases the unpredictability of the Patriots offense.

Can New England Find Their Identity?

Of course, this unpredictability will only be effective if the Patriots know who they are. Even with Gordon, New England didn’t have a consistent identity on the offensive side of the ball. Gordon was a big part of what the offense did, so can the Patriots adapt on the fly and become a high-octane offense?

In short, yes. Without Gordon, the Patriots are left with Edelman, Hogan, Gronkowski, Dorsett, and White as the top options in the passing game. Fortunately, this personnel grouping is actually the most effective package in terms of yards per play.

In 23 plays this season, the skill group of Julian Edelman, Gronk, Chris Hogan, Phillip Dorsett, James White plus the starting OL has averaged 9.2 yards per play and 9.9 yards per pass play.

That’s the best average for a #Patriots grouping (min. 10 snaps).

— Evan Lazar (@ezlazar) December 21, 2018

Obviously, this isn’t the largest sample in the world, and, once again, losing Josh Gordon does not make this offense better. However, this shows that the Patriots are capable of being productive with the players left on the roster. Edelman and Dorsett can work the short and intermediate portions of the field, Hogan can get open deep, Gronkowski can work the middle, and James White can be there as Brady’s safety outlet.

Last Word on the New England Patriots Identity

Losing Josh Gordon is tough, and it certainly hurts the New England Patriots identity. However, a silver lining exists, if you’re looking for one. Opposing defenses don’t know how this offense will function, as the 2018 Patriots have never played with Edelman and without Gordon at the same time.

If the Patriots can find an identity, they’ll have the advantage of hitting defenses with plays they’ve never seen before. In most situations, there are mountains of tape on a team by Week 16. However, the Patriots don’t have that tape, meaning opposing coaches can’t gameplan as effectively against everything New England could do on any given week.

For what it’s worth, New England has actually been surprisingly effective with the personnel left on the team. Per CLNS’ Evan Lazar, the Patriots average the most yards per play with Edelman, Hogan, Dorsett, Gronkowski, and White on the field. This obviously comes in a small sample, but it shows New England can move the ball with the pieces they already have.

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