The Patriots’ biggest problem is crystal clear after Week 6

Adversity looms for a Patriots offense looking less equipped to deal with it.

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After Sunday’s embarrassing 18-12 loss to the Denver Broncos, New England Patriots quarterback Cam Newton was right about one thing: The solution to the problems currently facing the team is in the locker room.

It’s just not on the offensive side of the ball.

No, the Patriots don’t need to reinvent the wheel, but they should have taken an axe to the receiver section of the board a long time ago.

There’s no need to hit the panic button if coach Bill Belichick is willing to call an emergency meeting to rectify the situation. Bring the pumpkin spice candles, pipe in the Michael Myers theme and call it a Halloween slumber party if needed. The Patriots receiving corps needs a soft reset ASAP.

That isn’t an attempt to brush aside the clear instances of adversity facing the team right now. They came into the game against the Broncos with only one real practice in two weeks after juggling multiple positive Covid-19 tests. There was also the injury-riddled offensive front. Newton was under constant duress from the Broncos defense to the point where he was either throwing interceptions or making snow angels in the dirt whenever he dropped back to pass.

The excuses are there for anyone wishing to partake in the mind-bending optimism that followed Sunday’s offensive implosion.

But it still doesn’t change the fact that the Patriots only have three passing touchdowns on the season, which is tied for the worst in the league with the New York Giants. To further put that into perspective, that’s worse than even the winless New York Jets—a team with a far more daunting offensive reality than even the Patriots.

The bottom line is teams don’t respect the passing attack. There isn’t a burner on the outside or a consistent deep threat receiver capable of taking the top off defenses. So teams can commit more to stopping Newton and the run-heavy offense with little concern of paying on the backend.

It’s a problem when offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels has to scrape the bottom of the barrel for trick plays just to generate some form of offensive momentum. Julian Edelman in particular was reduced to the point where he was more effective as a quarterback than a receiver against the Broncos.

Just imagine if the Patriots had an opportunity to draft a young, emerging star wideout like Seattle Seahawks second-round pick D.K. Metcalf. Oh wait, they passed on the real-life caricature of a Marvel superhero for a shot at N’Keal Harry in the first round.

If anyone was wondering, yes, Harry was on the field against the Broncos. He was also on a milk carton after being shutout for four quarters.

Damiere Byrd has actually been a solid offseason addition, but he isn’t the type of playmaker that’s going to strike fear into opposing defenses alone. His services would be better-suited as a No. 3 or even a No. 4 option at receiver.

There’s also the clear lack of production at tight end for the Patriots. Ryan Izzo is the only player at the position that’s been targeted this season, and he only has six receptions for 82 yards. This is the same Patriots organization that used to be notorious for their usage and reliance on multiple tight ends. Granted, maybe that’ll still be the case one day with rookies Devin Asiasi and Dalton Keene, but it usually takes a full-year before young players typically blossom at that position. So I’d strongly pump the brakes on the Bash Brothers expectations.

The good news for the Patriots is the rapidly approaching Nov. 3 trade deadline and Belichick’s willingness to wheel and deal at the last minute. The bad news would be things ending up like last season, when the team wasted a second-round pick on a declining Mohamed Sanu.

But there’s no doubt the Patriots will have to do something to keep the sky from falling in Foxborough.

Veteran tight end Zach Ertz appears to be on the outs with the Philadelphia Eagles over a dispute of a contract extension. He’s in the middle of a down year, along with the entire Eagles offense, and could be considered expendable with Dallas Goedert on the roster. Perhaps Belichick could strike up a friendly deal to obtain the tight end that helped coach Doug Pederson torch his defense at Super Bowl LII.

Another potential blockbuster discount could come in the form of landing former All-Pro receiver A.J. Green from the Cincinnati Bengals. Green has been left in the dust of the ensuing youth movement in Cincinnati with Tyler Boyd and Tee Higgins.

Then there’s the elephant in the room, Odell Beckham Jr.

The Patriots and Beckham have been tied together in rumors since quarterback Tom Brady was behind center. Cleveland hasn’t gotten him any closer to winning than New York, and despite the Patriots’ struggles, Newton is a far more reliable quarterback than Baker Mayfield.

Beckham’s mere presence on the field would have the sort of ripple effect that could make the whole team better. Edelman would finally have space to work in the middle of the field, and opposing defenses couldn’t consistently crowd the box. But of course, it all depends on Belichick’s willingness to go all-in at receiver or continue treating it as a plug-and-play position.

Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs are flying high with an embarrassment of offensive riches thanks to head coach Andy Reid. Meanwhile, Brady was stuck in mud last year with the same Patriots offense Newton is sputtering with this season. Excuses will always be there, whether its injuries, lack of personnel or playing in the middle of a global health pandemic.

But this Patriots offense, as currently constructed, isn’t scaring anyone. It hasn’t for the last two years.