The 2022 New England Patriots (8-9) miss out on the playoffs, sacrificed to the true class of the AFC East, the Buffalo Bills.

The 2022 New England Patriots (8-9) miss out on the playoffs. Even with the loss to Buffalo Bills (13-3), the Patriots could have snuck in with a Steelers loss to the Browns and a Dolphins loss to the Jets. But the dice didn’t roll New England’s way, and there are more than a few fans who will be happy enough to call it a season, lick their wounds, and start dreaming about a brighter future. Who will be part of that future? What changes can we expect in the coaching staff? And what will the team do with its locked-in 14th pick? The offseason starts now…

Last week’s action

The Patriots fell to the home team Buffalo Bills 23-35. It was a contest that started close, but got away from the visitors, outclassed and out of luck. Like New England has shown all year, it just can’t hang with the upper crust teams for sixty minutes.

After the emotional highs and lows of the Damar Hamlin injury, and steady recovery, the Buffalo Bills players, coaches, and crowd were amped up beyond all recognition. Right on cue Bills special teamer Nyheim Hines returned the opening kickoff for a touchdown.

The Patriots showed they weren’t ready to get blown out of the stadium quite yet with solid play on both sides of the ball that kept the game even 14-14 at halftime. The second half, on the other hand, was a different story. The Buffalo Bills turned up the pressure throughout, collecting multiple turnovers from a Patriots offense that struggled to meet the moment. The stats line will demonstrate solid efforts in the running game and passing game. RB Rhamondre Stevenson ran for a super efficient 54 yards on 9 carries, while RB Damien Harris added another 48 yards.

WR Devante Parker put up numbers (6 catches, 79 yards, 2 TDs) that made him look like the receiver the fanbase was praying for all season. But the wheels came off as the Patriots special teams gave up another return-TD to Nyheim Hines and Mac Jones could not stop throwing interceptions.

The Patriots defense gave a respectable effort despite being put in difficult positions by the turnovers and special teams collapse. No sacks for LB Matt Judon, whose bid for regular season sack leader has been eclipsed by the 49ers Nick Bosa (18.5), among others.

What we’re wondering

Who gets the blame for this awful season?

New England has enjoyed such a consistent string of success in the last two decades that it’s not well practiced in the art of ax drops and head rolls. Do you blame Bill Belichick, one of the greatest head coaches of all time? Or the owner Robert Kraft, who has judiciously left the football decisions up to the football people with good results? Or the offensive coaching clusterfuck of Matt Patricia and Joe Judge, who didn’t hire themselves? Or QB Mac Jones, whose anemic offensive output after a strong rookie year now seems like the inevitable result of the dumbfuckery committed by all the previously mentioned leadership.

What we’re watching for

Changes in the coaching staff

Despite Kraft’s complaints about his team’s uncompetitiveness the last few years, it’s difficult to see him making a change at head coach. There’s been too much winning together in New England with Belichick. And a down period after Brady’s departure was the most predictable outcome in the world. But that doesn’t mean we won’t see a serious staff reshuffling. Belichick’s understaffed and inexperienced coaching ranks was his great act of hubris this season. Look for him to identify the error in the offseason and repopulate the staff with the right coaches at the right positions. One question though: does the top coaching talent want to come to New England right now?

Bringing in competition for Mac Jones

Why did the offense suffer this year? A fair assessment will point most of the fingers at factors besides the play and abilities of Mac Jones. Accordingly, a fair response would be making adjustments around the quarterback to put him in a better position to win. But the NFL isn’t, and starting quarterbacks with losing records always get scrutinized. Is Mac Jones the guy to lead New England back to respectability? Maybe, maybe not. #ZappeFever aside, there’s no clear competition for Jones. If the team can swing it, watch for them to bring in a proven veteran to calm things down in the quarterback room, if not compete himself.

Special teams reboot

Long gone are the days of ST Matthew Slater leading one of the best special teams groups in the league. Special teams used to be a point of pride for the detail-oriented New England Patriots. These days it’s an embarrassment. Mac Jones isn’t going to be willing the team to victory with hero ball offense – the Patriots need solid defense and special teams to be competitive. The defense is coming along just fine, but special teams will need major renovation this offseason.

For Boston Fans

Better luck next year…