New York Giants Week 12: Examining the New England Patriots Offense

Let's see what the New England Patriots' offense is looking like these days.

Long gone are the days of Tom Brady bringing a random group of New England Patriots receivers to the Super Bowl. Since Brady left, the Patriots haven’t been able to find their answer at quarterback or offensive coordinator.

So what's there to offer? Let's look at the offense of the New York Giants' next opponent.

Personnel

The Patriots haven’t yet named their starting quarterback for this weekend’s game against the Giants, but the choice is expected between the incumbent, Mac Jones, and Bailey Zappe. Jones has started every game this season, though Zappe has been the one to finish the game three times.

Neither of these options is a great quarterback, and neither is even NFL-starter quality right now, but the Patriots still need to trot one out to start. If it’s Jones, he’s been the guy all season and is likely being given his last opportunity to impress before the Patriots try to acquire a new quarterback this offseason.

No matter who starts at quarterback, Rhamondre Stevenson and Ezekiel Elliott will fill the running back position. The run game hasn’t been working much for the Pats this season. With lackluster quarterback play, defenses can lock in on stopping the run and let Mac Jones try to beat you.

Neither Stevenson nor Elliott have top-end speed to create explosive runs consistently, but they’re both absolute hammers on the ground right now. The duo has a combined 212 carries, 813 yards, and five rushing touchdowns, and 68.6% of their rushing yards are coming after contact so far this season.

Similar to quarterback and running back, the wide receiver room in New England leaves a lot to be desired. Kendrick Bourne had been a reliable option, but he’s simply not a top wide receiver for an offense and is now out for the season. Demario Douglas has worked in the offense consistently in recent weeks as both a screen receiver and someone who’s become reliable over the middle of the field.

The Patriots signed Juju Smith-Schuster over Jakobi Meyers, which hasn’t worked out much. Smith-Schuster hasn’t been able to separate much as a route runner but also doesn’t run with the same juice he used to when he could create explosive plays.

There’s just simply not much to be excited for in the receiver room unless someone like Tyquan Thornton can find space downfield.

Hunter Henry, Mike Gesicki, and Pharoah Brown have headlined the tight end room as versatile options. Henry and Gesicki are the most common duo on the field when the Patriots go 12 personnel, which I would expect plenty of this weekend. Brown is either a vertical threat up the seam or completely uninvolved.

As always, the Patriots' offensive line is a strength of the unit, but it’s just been a catastrophic failure regarding the skill positions.

Scheme

Bill O’Brien was a big-name hire this past offseason for the Patriots after he spent the past few seasons running very successful Alabama Crimson Tide offenses. Unfortunately, that hasn’t carried over to the NFL level, partially due to his own fault and partially due to the talent at his disposal.

On first down, the Patriots bring out 12 personnel more than any other team in the NFL at 44% of their first down opportunities. 12-personnel is a staple in New England - putting one running back, two tight ends, and two wide receivers on the field simultaneously. With Henry and Gesicki at tight end, there’s enough versatility to be threats in the run-and-pass game.

A key part of this Patriots offense is to go no-huddle frequently, not allowing opposing teams to substitute easily and try to wear them down. Even if the Patriots don’t generally snap the ball quickly, they try to bring a no-huddle approach to the game.

The run game here is built around being versatile and complementary, similar to the Giants' approach. Giants fans will see similar tendencies with inside zone, wide zone, power, and sweep. This Patriots offense isn’t exciting or explosive, but the rush plan isn’t bland.

In the passing attack, it’s very timing-based between quarterback and receiver - which is perhaps one of the reasons they’ve struggled to get going offensively is just that lack of chemistry. Perhaps if Zappe starts, it will be more successful, considering his experience in a timing-based offense in his college days.

What This Means for the Giants

Wink Martindale is probably very excited for this week’s matchup because he’ll have free reign to get back to exactly what he’s always loved doing: blitzing the lights out of people. The Patriots going 12 personnel allows the Giants to have linebackers on the field that Martindale can weaponize.

I’d expect Isaiah Simmons to see plenty of playing time after a strong game against the Commanders and for him to be used as a blitzer frequently. Coverage-wise, we should see plenty of Cover 1 or Cover 0, essentially daring whoever is in at quarterback to make them beat you.

The Patriots' combination of poor quarterback play and lack of explosive weapons on the outside means that defenses have the power to play press-man and be aggressive.

Final Thoughts

This is another one of those games where some fans will be watching and hoping to lose to get a higher draft pick, but the Giants don’t care about that right now. This is a very winnable game that likely won’t be exciting but could contribute to building a winning culture in the Giants' locker room again.

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