Wild stat illustrates how bad Patriots have been on offense

Nov 18, 2021; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; New England Patriots quarterback Mac Jones (10) during a timeout against the Atlanta Falcons in the second half at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports

There are not enough words to describe how terrible the New England Patriots’ offense has been for most of the 2023 season, but one particular stat sums it up pretty well.

New England’s defense held their opponent to just 10 points on Sunday for the second consecutive game. That was not enough to defeat the New York Giants, who beat them 10-7. The Indianapolis Colts beat the Patriots 10-6 in Week 10 before New England had a bye.

As NESN’s Zack Cox notes, those two losses are the only two this season for a team that held its opponent to 10 or fewer points. Teams are collectively 50-2 this year when allowing 10 or fewer points.

NFL teams are 50-2 this season when allowing 10 or fewer points.

The Patriots had the only two losses, and they came in their last two games.

— Zack Cox (@zm_cox) November 27, 2023

It does not get much more telling than that.

The Patriots have averaged just 13.5 points per game this season. Bill Belichick stuck with Mac Jones as his starter on Sunday, which says a lot more about the current state of New England’s quarterback room than it does about the confidence the coach has in his former first-round pick.

Jones was benched at halftime after making some shockingly bad throws, but Bailey Zappe was once again just as ineffective.

The Patriots fell to 2-9 with their loss to the Tommy DeVito-led Giants. Belichick and his players also seem to be on different pages in more ways than one. It is a shock there has not been more talk about the locker room in New England imploding.