{"id":55193,"date":"2018-12-21T08:28:31","date_gmt":"2018-12-21T13:28:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lwosonnfl.ms.lastwordonsports.com\/?p=55193"},"modified":"2018-12-21T08:34:15","modified_gmt":"2018-12-21T13:34:15","slug":"new-england-patriots-identity-currently-a-mystery-and-that-might-be-a-good-thing","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/2018\/12\/21\/new-england-patriots-identity-currently-a-mystery-and-that-might-be-a-good-thing\/","title":{"rendered":"New England Patriots Identity Currently A Mystery, And That Might Be A Good Thing"},"content":{"rendered":"

The 2018 season has been an absolutely wild ride for the New England Patriots<\/a>. Normally one of the most prepared team when December rolls around, this incarnation of the Patriots is still struggling to find its\u2019 identity. This task is made even harder by the recent departure<\/a> of wide receiver\u00a0Josh Gordon<\/a><\/strong>. 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\u2019s advantage.<\/p>\n

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\u2019t be enough time for the rest of the league to identify New England\u2019s weaknesses. This makes the team less predictable, which, in turn, makes the Patriots more dangerous.<\/p>\n

New England Patriots Identity A Dangerous Unknown<\/h1>\n

Some people may rush to compare New England\u2019s offense without Gordon to the first three weeks of the season. Gordon initially arrived prior to Week Three\u00a0but didn\u2019t 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<\/a> and Detroit Lions<\/a>.<\/p>\n

However, making this comparison ignores the fact that Julian Edelman<\/a><\/strong> 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<\/a><\/strong> have an unparalleled mind meld which elevates the rest of the offense.<\/p>\n

Edelman\u2019s return perfectly coincided with Gordon\u2019s arrival, so opposing defenses have yet to see a Patriots offense operating with only Edelman. Because of this, defenses don\u2019t know how the 2018 Patriots will function.<\/p>\n

Losing good players obviously hurts, but it\u2019s not like this offense lacks talent. Edelman is playing like he never tore his ACL, Chris Hogan<\/a><\/strong> has a history of success in this system and has actually performed well<\/a>\u00a0when given the chance. Likewise, Phillip Dorsett<\/a><\/strong> has played well<\/a> in his limited opportunities. Rob Gronkowski<\/a><\/strong> isn\u2019t as good as his old self, but he\u2019s still an above-average tight end. Similarly, Tom Brady is still a top-10 quarterback, even if he\u2019s not the MVP-caliber player he once was.<\/p>\n

Even if the aerial attack can\u2019t get going, the running game should be effective. Per Football Outsiders<\/a>, 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\u00a0Sony Michel<\/a>, Rex Burkhead<\/a><\/strong>, and James White<\/a><\/strong>. All three can be receiving threats out of the backfield, which increases the unpredictability of the Patriots offense.<\/p>\n

Can New England Find Their Identity?<\/h2>\n

Of course, this unpredictability will only be effective if the Patriots know who they are. Even with Gordon, New England didn\u2019t 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?<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

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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. <\/p>\n

That\u2019s the best average for a #Patriots<\/a> grouping (min. 10 snaps).<\/p>\n

— Evan Lazar (@ezlazar) December 21, 2018<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n