Through four weeks, the 2023 New England Patriots offense has been a disappointment under new offensive coordinator Bill O'Brien.
It's been all downhill on that side of the ball since the Patriots scored 20 points in their Week 1 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles, which some considered a "moral victory." They scored 17 (14 in the fourth quarter) during their Week 2 loss to the Miami Dolphins, 15 in their Week 3 win over the New York Jets, and only three points in Sunday's blowout loss to the Dallas Cowboys.
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Turnovers have been one of the group's most glaring issues to this point in the season. They were a problem again in Week 4 as quarterback Mac Jones tossed two interceptions (one pick-six) and had a strip-sack returned for a touchdown. Those three errors contributed to New England leading the NFL in a statistic no team wants to be associated with.
As Warren Sharp of Sharp Football Analysis pointed out, the Patriots have had a whopping 71 percent of their drives end in either a punt or a turnover. That mark tops the entire league, even the winless Chicago Bears and Carolina Panthers.
Some of those woes can be attributed to facing three of the league's toughest defenses (Philadelphia, Miami, Dallas) in the first four weeks. Sunday's loss to the Cowboys, however, was a new low. It markets the largest defeat in Bill Belichick's 29 years as an NFL head coach.
The Patriots will be presented with a bounce-back opportunity in Week 5 when they host the New Orleans Saints. Kickoff is set for 1 p.m. ET this Sunday at Gillette Stadium.