Sunday 7: Blame Patriots offense, not defense, for abrupt end to 2019 season

1. All season long, we were saying the fate of the 2019 Patriots would be determined by their offense and how much better they could get after adding several pieces in the middle of the year, and ultimately that was the case. That fate wasn't very good as the Patriots fell to the Titans, 20-13 Saturday night in the Wild Card round at Gillette Stadium.

It was really a 14-13 game, as Tom Brady threw a meaningless pick-6 with nine seconds left from the Patriots' 9-yard line and the Titans failed to convert the two-point conversion. 

Quite simply, the Patriots offense wasn't very good all year, Saturday night included, and that is the reason why the team will be watching the rest of the playoffs from its couches.

The Patriots managed only 13 points against Tennessee, which finished the regular season 12th in points allowed and 21st in overall defense. The 14 points allowed were the second-fewest scored all year by the Titans.

Making matters worse for the Patriots was it had plenty of chances to get more points. The biggest chance was towards the end of the first half when the Patriots had first-and-goal from the 1-yard line and were stopped three straight times and had to settle for a field goal. At the time it gave the Patriots a 13-7 lead, but 17-7 would have made things completely different.

Tennessee went right down the field and scored a touchdown with 35 seconds left to take a 14-13 lead going into the half. Who knows what would have happened if New England would have punched it in for six the possession before?

Then in the second half, the Patriots did not score a single point. It was the first time since last year's meeting with the Titans where the Patriots did not score a point in the second half of a game, and the first time since September of 2013 where an offense led by Tom Brady did not score a point in the second half of a game at Gillette Stadium.

Against an average Titans defense, that is unacceptable. 

Their biggest opportunity to score in the second half was at the beginning of the fourth quarter when Duron Harmon picked off Ryan Tannehill, giving the Patriots their best field position of the night, starting at their own 41-yard line. But, what did the offense do? Gained 12 yards, one first down (by penalty) and punted after four plays.

It's easy to see why the Patriots lost. The offense didn't take advantage if its scoring opportunities. 

Even if the Patriots settled for a field goal following the turnover they would have taken a 16-14 lead and who knows how the Titans would have reacted playing from behind on the road in the fourth quarter.

While it may not be easiest thing to say the Patriots defense did its job when it allowed 182 yards on the ground to Derrick Henry, it only allowed 272 yards total and that was the fewest the Titans finished with in a game since Week 8. Including the meaningless pick-6, the 20 points were the fewest Tennessee had scored since Week 9 when it also scored 20.

Going into the game, if it was said the Patriots would be able to hold the Titans offense, which came into the game fourth in points scored since Tannehill took over as starter, to only 14 points, they likely win the game nine out of 10 times. 

It should have been enough, but ultimately it was not because of how poor the offense has been for the entire season.

2. Mike Vrabel not only beat his former coach in Bill Belichick, he used something Belichick did earlier in the season against him. In the fourth quarter when the Titans were punting, the teams exchanged multiple penalties, but since the clock kept running after each penalty was called, nearly two minutes of actual game time went by. The Titans ran their third-down play with 6:39 left on the clock, but didn't actually punt until there was 4:44 left. Belichick did a similar thing against the Jets earlier in the year and even admitted afterwards it was a loophole that likely would get closed. Obviously, it still hasn't and it came back to hurt the Patriots on Saturday.

3. After the game, Belichick was asked about the fans sticking by him and the team over the year "through thick and thin." The coach responded, "We appreciate our fans. I wouldn't say it's been all that thin around here, personally. Maybe you feel differently, but I haven't heard too many fans say that." It isn't totally clear what the "thin" part of the question was, but it was a tremendous line by Belichick noting just how successful he and the team have been over the years.

4. Josh McDaniels will be interviewing for three head-coaching jobs this week, but it seems like he's only a true candidate for two of them — Cleveland and Carolina. It doesn't feel like the Giants are all that interested in him given what it going on and the names they are interviewing. In terms of what is the best job/fit for him, Carolina and Cleveland are both good, but if he hits it off with the Panthers' front office, Carolina could be a great fit. It's also good in the fact that it isn't 100 percent committed to Cam Newton, so the new coach could pick his quarterback.

5. The wide receiver position was a major issue for the Patriots Saturday, and really all season long. Against the Titans, the receivers combined for seven catches for 68 yards, and over the last four games of the season, the wideouts combined for only 37 receptions. Putting that into perspective, Julian Edelman had a four-game stretch earlier in the year where he had 34 catches by himself.

6. Get ready for a lot of leaked injury news over the next few days when it comes to the Patriots, as a number of players were really banged up. No one was more banged up than Edelman, but the receiver did not miss a single game all season. Do not be surprised if some injury news surrounding Brady also comes out.

7. For the first time since 2009, the Patriots' season is over before the middle of January. The team will hold its final media access Sunday at Gillette Stadium with Belichick addressing the media and then a final open locker room session. As for what is next on the Patriots' calendar, it's likely the combine, which is scheduled for the last week of February.