Not only did the New England Patriots lose to the Washington Commanders in a 20-17 defeat on Sunday, they also were dominated in time of possession.
Washington had possession on offense for over 37 minutes of the game while New England controlled for just under 23 minutes. In an effort to make plays with the ball, the Patriots upped their tempo and operated in a no-huddle offense throughout the game. One Patriot believes that operating in that style may have affected the final view of that stat.
“Early, most of the game, we were going pretty fast, so that could be skewed in a way, a little bit,” New England tight end Hunter Henry said postgame, per a team-provided transcript. “But we just weren’t efficient enough, especially at midfield. We just weren’t efficient enough in a lot of areas. We’ve got to definitely look at the film, but time of possession, we definitely need to hold on to the ball a little more. But I think going no-huddle, getting on the ball and going a little bit faster, I think that stat can probably be skewed a bit.”
The Patriots did show flashes of positivity on offense, posting 14 points in the second quarter on a Henry touchdown in the red zone and chunk play with Rhamondre Stevenson rattled off a 64-yard touchdown run. Outside of those plays, the Patriots struggled to find consistency throughout the offense.
“I think just trying to get in a rhythm, get the first first down, keep it moving,” New England center David Andrews told reporters, per a team-provided transcript. “You can keep guys on the field who do different things, but if you’re going fast and not having positive plays, it really doesn’t matter. So, it all starts with positive plays, just trying to get in a rhythm, get moving. We had some success, moved the ball a few times there. We’ve just really got to finish drives, work to finish drives and have positive plays each play.”
New England was outgained by 100 yards and converted just three chances on 12 third-down attempts. The Patriots still have work to do to unlock the offense in the second half of a disappointing season.
