{"id":88709,"date":"2020-05-27T07:04:51","date_gmt":"2020-05-27T11:04:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonprofootball.com\/?p=88709"},"modified":"2020-05-27T07:06:38","modified_gmt":"2020-05-27T11:06:38","slug":"new-england-patriots-offense-ranked-26th-2020","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/2020\/05\/27\/new-england-patriots-offense-ranked-26th-2020\/","title":{"rendered":"New England Patriots Offense Ranked 26th Heading Into 2020"},"content":{"rendered":"

Despite having one of the best defenses in recent memory, the 2019 New England Patriots<\/a> failed to make it out of the Wild Card Round for the first time in a decade. The offense was to blame for the relatively underwhelming season, and it\u2019s hard to see that getting better in 2020. According to TouchdownWire<\/a>, the Patriots have the 26th<\/sup>-best offense in the league heading into the upcoming season.<\/p>\n

TouchdownWire Ranks New England Patriots Offense 26th<\/sup> in NFL<\/h2>\n

Author Mark Schofield<\/strong> acknowledges that it\u2019s strange to have New England at the bottom of a list like this, but \u201cthis is a new era in Foxborough.\u201d Schofield justifies this low ranking by identifying Tom Brady<\/a><\/strong>\u2019s struggles with N\u2019Keal Harry<\/strong><\/a> and Mohamed Sanu<\/a><\/strong>. While Brady is obviously no longer in town, Schofield expects presumed starter Jarrett Stidham<\/a><\/strong> to struggle with the same weapons.<\/p>\n

This ranking feels right, and could even be a little optimistic. Julian Edelman<\/a><\/strong> is the only receiver on the team capable of consistently getting open against top competition. N\u2019Keal Harry and Jakobi Meyers<\/a><\/strong> both showed flashes as rookies, but neither one is a guarantee to succeed moving forward. Mohamed Sanu, meanwhile, has a long history of being nothing more than a depth receiver.<\/p>\n

The Patriots ignored the wide receiver position in the offseason and added tight ends Devin Asiasi<\/strong><\/a> and Dalton Keene<\/strong><\/a> in the third round of the 2020 NFL Draft. Both players possess interesting traits, but tight ends historically need time before they\u2019re ready to contribute.<\/p>\n

Interestingly enough, New England\u2019s low ranking is actually higher than two of their AFC East counterparts. The Miami Dolphins came in at 28th<\/sup> on Schofield\u2019s rankings, while the New York Jets were all the way down at 31. Even the Buffalo Bills aren\u2019t that far ahead of the Patriots, coming in at 23rd<\/sup> on the list.<\/p>\n

Main photo:
\nEmbed from Getty Images<\/a>