After a disastrous showing in Jacksonville, the Patriots have reached an early crossroads, as the offense has struggled to find any consistency.
Drake Maye is searching for answers after a rough start to the season, and a team that entered the year with plenty of optimism suddenly has far more questions than answers.
Now, the Patriots need their leaders to step up.
And three names in particular should be at the center of that effort: Mike Vrabel, Kevin Byard and Josh McDaniels.
Start with Vrabel.
The Patriots hired Vrabel in large part because of the culture, toughness, and accountability he was expected to bring to New England. Now, with his team at its lowest point of the young season, it’s time for those qualities to show up.
Vrabel is not a play-calling head coach, and while that distinction is often used as a criticism, this is his opportunity to show exactly what he does bring to the table.
The two-time Coach of the Year is known for his ball-busting swagger and the commanding presence he brings the moment he walks into a room. He put that leadership on full display last season, helping transform a four-win Patriots team into a 14-win squad that ultimately reached the Super Bowl.
It is easy to lead when everything is going well. Vrabel excelled at that a season ago, when the Patriots were beating backup quarterbacks, and Drake Maye was completing passes at a historic rate.
It is an entirely different story when your quarterback is struggling, your team is coming off a blowout loss, and frustration is beginning to creep into the building.
This is the moment Vrabel needs to grab control of his football team.
That doesn’t necessarily mean making drastic changes or publicly calling out players. It means setting the tone, demanding accountability, and making sure his players understand that what happened in Jacksonville cannot become the standard for this team.
While the Patriots need their head coach to set the tone, Vrabel can’t do it alone.
This is where Byard becomes so important.
Byard spent his first six seasons in Tennessee playing under Vrabel, so when the veteran safety became an offseason addition in New England, it was clear Vrabel valued more than just what he could bring on the field. He was adding a player he trusted to help lead the locker room.
And now, the Patriots need that leadership.
Byard has been around the NFL long enough to understand that every team goes through adversity. He has played in big games, experienced losing stretches, and understands the responsibility that comes with being one of the veteran voices in a locker room.
The Patriots need Byard to be one of the players who makes sure the defense doesn’t lose its identity.
Through the first two weeks, New England’s defense was arguably the biggest reason for optimism, allowing just 16 combined points in its first two games. Then, Jacksonville exposed them.
The Jaguars put up 35 points and went a perfect 5-for-5 in the red zone, turning what had been a strength for the Patriots into one of the biggest concerns coming out of Week 3.
But Byard has been through this before.
Last season, he was part of a Chicago Bears team that started 0-2. In their second game, the Bears surrendered 52 points. Instead of allowing that loss to snowball, Chicago’s defense responded, helping the team lead the NFL in takeaways over the remainder of the season. The Bears went 11-4 over their final 15 games and advanced to the Divisional Round.
The defense got punched in the mouth in Jacksonville. Now, Byard needs to help make sure it punches back.
Finally, there is Josh McDaniels.
As the Patriots’ offensive coordinator, McDaniels has to be more than the guy drawing up plays every week. He needs to be the voice Maye trusts when things start to go sideways, and right now, they couldn’t be going much further sideways.
Maye looks like a completely different quarterback than the player we saw a season ago. He’s turning the ball over at an alarming rate, missing open receivers and, at times, looking completely lost trying to diagnose what defenses are throwing at him.
Around the league, we’ve seen offensive play-callers help talented young quarterbacks work through similar struggles. Look no further than the Patriots’ most recent opponent, where Liam Coen has completely revitalized Trevor Lawrence and helped him rediscover the confidence and playmaking ability that made him a former No. 1 overall pick.
While much of the scrutiny has landed on Maye, McDaniels has been far from perfect through three weeks. His play-calling needs to improve, and he needs to put Maye in better positions to succeed if the Patriots are going to get their quarterback back on track and turn their season around.
The Patriots are a better team than they’ve looked and than their record suggests.
Now, they need their coaches and veteran players to remind everyone in that locker room who they are supposed to be.
