The New England Patriots offense was abysmal for most of the team's Week 1 game against the rival Dolphins in Miami.
The unit tallied just 271 total yards, committed three turnovers and found the end zone just once in a 20-7 loss at Hard Rock Stadium. It was the lowest scoring output by the Patriots in a game versus the Dolphins since 2006.
What can the Patriots do to show meaningful improvement offensively as soon as Sunday's Week 2 road game against the Pittsburgh Steelers?
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On the latest episode of NBC Sports Boston's Patriots Talk Podcast, our insider Phil Perry and former Patriots quarterback Matt Cassel broke down a simple five-point plan the team can follow.
The plan is as follows:
- Point 1: Change the tempo
- Point 2: Take more shots
- Point 3: Win on 1st and 2nd down
- Point 4: More variety on offense
- Point 5: Marry your run game with the play-action pass
Patriots Talk: A five-point plan to fix the Patriots’ offense | Listen & Subscribe | Watch on YouTube
New England Patriots
"I thought (play action) was one of the strong points of Mac Jones' game last year," Cassel said in the episode. "I think it was one of the strong points of the offense last year. It goes hand-in-hand with the success of your run game. If you're not being successful in the run game, and you're not able to break that, you're not going to get the second level (of the defense) to come up so you can get behind them. I think once they get that run game going, to marry those same looks with the play-action pass is always a benefit to any good offense."
The Patriots only attempted two play-action passes in Week 1. They averaged 3.5 yards per carry and fell into a 17-0 halftime deficit, which made it difficult to establish a strong run game in the second half.
Running the ball early and often Sunday would open up the Patriots offense and give quarterback Mac Jones an opportunity to take more shots down field. It's tough to win with an unbalanced offense, especially against a good defense like the one the Patriots will face this weekend in Pittsburgh.