Patriots Cannot Move Forward Without Better Red Zone Efficiency

The New England Patriots did several things well on offense Sunday against the Indianapolis Colts.

Drake Maye made more plays off-platform and continues to highly impress as a rookie. Both Rhamondre Stevenson and Antonio Gibson found room to run. The Patriots also scored their second-highest point total of the season with 24 points against the Colts as the third-lowest scoring offense in the sport.

That was not enough when the defense allowed a go-ahead drive as Indianapolis finished off the 25-24 win. Not that the offense will or should shoulder the blame for the lost, but the Patriots certainly left plenty of points on the board (again).

New England entered the game with the NFL’s fourth-worst red-zone efficiency at 46.9%, per TeamRankings.com. Sunday marked more struggles as the Patriots went just 2-for-6 on red zone chances and just 1-for-4 when inside the 10-yard line. That cannot continue if the Patriots want to take the next step with their youthful offense.

“Our red area offense I think we were 1-for-6,” Patriots head coach Jerod Mayo told reporters, per team-provided transcript. “Our red area defense, we weren’t able to stop them there. That’s really the game.”

“It was tough down there,” Maye told reporters, per team-provided transcript. “It was tight. Tight windows. Tight throws. I have to give our guys some chances. I think that’s probably the biggest thing. And penalties — I think one of them was penalties. We got back into, like, a first and goal from the 20. Just can’t settle for four field goals in the red zone and expect to win ball games.”

The Patriots get their next shot to convert after the bye week in Arizona against the Cardinals.