So far, the Patriots are good, but they could be a lot better. Right now they are 10 and 3. They are also coming off another scandal, this one “Spy Gate 2.0″. Apparently last week, during week 14 of the NFL season, the Patriots spied on the Bengals sideline, a team who is their next opponent this Sunday. But it seems to be a big misunderstanding.   

The Patriots are struggling, not defensively for a change, but offensively. Tom Brady is having one of the worst seasons of his career. The last time his passer rating was this low was in 2003. But you can’t entirely put that all on him.  

From not having Gronk, to cutting Josh Gordon, Demaryius Thomas, and Antonio Brown, the Patriots receiving core has not been what it has been in previous years.

In terms of depth, most of Brady’s receivers seem to struggle to catch wide-open passes. While they have talent, a lot of the receivers are rookies or first year players on the Patriot’s roster. For instance, N’Keal Harry and Jakobi Meyers are rookies, and Phillip Dorsett, who is not a rookie, is just not very good. 

The Patriots offensive line is also the worst it has been in a few years. While the offensive line in total is ranked number ten by the NFL, it has struggled with its protection of Tom Brady, allowing 75 qb hits according to NFL.com. This is a lot of hits, especially for an older quarterback like Tom Brady who can struggle with too much pressure.

While the Patriots offense has not been anything special, this year the defense has the best defense in the league, and some would argue that they are the best defense ever. They have been something to marvel at from four blocked punts, to Devon McCourty’s five interceptions, and Stephon Gilmore’s four interceptions, the Patriots defense have been shining spot on the team.

That doesn’t mean that defense has not had their struggles, though. In the game against the Baltimore Ravens, they allowed 37 points and Lamar Jackson to have large amounts of rush yards. The defense did struggle, but they bounced back, seeming to be back on track again, all be it slightly worse than before.

Despite the weak offense, with this defense and the fact that the Patriots always seem to turn things around in the playoffs, they could up for a championship run, if they just stay on track. 

Next game is Sunday, December 15. New England Patriots (10-3) v Cincinnati Bengals (1-12) at 1 p.m. on CBS.