Things have been as rocky as anticipated for the New England Patriots in their first year without Bill Belichick. What more could be expected for a team being led by a first-time head coach, first-time offensive play-caller and first-time defensive coordinator?
That train was bound to go off the tracks.
The one lingering hope for the Patriots was finding the right quarterback and teasing some positive momentum for the future. An argument could be made that the team succeeded in that aspect with rookie quarterback Drake Maye being everything they hoped he'd be.
Granted, there are concerns on defense, and the coaching needs to improve drastically for the team to have any hope in the future. But if the Patriots' front office puts the right pieces around Maye, the team could look like night and day in 2025.
Here are the best and worst performers with at least 25 snaps through the first 13 weeks, per Pro Football Focus grades:
Top 5 offense
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TE Austin Hooper: 74.3 QB Drake Maye: 73.6 RB JaMycal Hasty: 71.0 RB Antonio Gibson: 70.9 WR Demario Douglas: 70.4
The offense hasn't been a total disaster. Rookie quarterback Drake Maye has lived up to his early draft hype, and although he hasn't had many receiving weapons, he has been able to lean on tight ends Austin Hooper and Hunter Henry.
There's hope the ground game will improve once the Patriots patch up their issues along the offensive front. Rhamondre Stevenson struggled to produce like he has in the past, but the team got a boost in moments with Antonio Gibson in the backfield.
It would be nice to see them incorporate the former Commanders running back more in the passing game, which is a third-down element still missing from the offense.
Bottom 5 offense
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G Sidy Sow: 29.7 C Nick Leverett: 38.1 T Demontrey Jacobs: 39.9 WR Ja'Lynn Polk: 43.3 G Layden Robinson: 44.6
It's no surprise that four of the players on this list are offensive linemen. The Patriots have struggled in pass protection and run blocking. That's what happens when the offensive line is composed of mostly backups and rookies.
Wideout Ja'Lynn Polk has been the biggest disappointment for the Patriots this season. He had a promising training camp, but none of it has translated onto the field in live games yet.
Top 5 defense
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S Jabrill Peppers: 83.6 OLB Keion White: 74.8 S Dell Pettus: 73.3 CB Christian Gonzalez: 71.8 CB Isaiah Bolden: 70.3
The defense took a major step back for the Patriots in 2024.
It's disappointing considering they managed to keep most of their starters from last season on the team. However, the unit hasn't played many games together with multiple key players being in and out of the lineup for various reasons.
Jabrill Peppers missed most of the season due to legal issues, and Christian Barmore was sidelined with blood clots. Meanwhile, Ja'Whaun Bentley suffered a season-ending pec injury.
Yet, Christian Gonzalez was incredible in his second year, and Dell Pettus was one of the biggest surprise players on the roster after signing on as an undrafted rookie.
Bottom 5 defense
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LB Raekwon McMillan: 40.8 LB Ja'Whaun Bentley: 47.0 S Kyle Dugger: 49.4 DL Eric Johnson: 49.8 CB Marco Wilson: 49.8
It's hard to fault Bentley for the defensive struggles considering he suffered a season-ending injury. Kyle Dugger has also been dealing with a nagging ankle injury, but he's been well enough to play in games.
And he hasn't looked good.
That's a problem considering the team extended his contract this year in hopes of making him one of the foundational pieces of the defense. The Patriots need to improve at stopping the run more consistently, putting pressure on opposing quarterbacks, defending tight ends and covering third-down running backs.
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