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Four Patriots Who Need to Raise Their Game After Less Than Great Season Starts
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- Four Patriots Who Need to Raise Their Game After Less Than Great Season Starts
The New England Patriots have "righted" their ship with two straight wins, sitting in a clump of teams with 3-2 marks.
If the season ended today, they would be headed to Buffalo as the No. 5 seed in the AFC playoffs.
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But New England still has questions that need to be answered.
Drake Maye may be playing a better brand of football, but a handful of notable teams have yet to play their best.
Here's a look at some Patriots that need to pick their game up a notch.
Christian Barmore, DT
So much had been made through the summer about Barmore being completely back health-wise after his 2024 scare with a blood clot issue.
Good in 2025, he was supposed to be even better this fall in his second year next to Milton Williams.
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The production just has not been there. Yes, there have been injury woes, but in four games played, averaging 50 percent of the defensive snaps, Barmore has a grand total of three solo tackles, one of which was a sack.
Romeo Doubs, WR
The free agent pickup out of Green Bay at $17 million a year has not lived up to the billing. He's got 13 catches on a whopping 23 targets for 219 yards and a pair of TDs.
New England Patriots wide receiver Romeo Doubs (87).Eric Canha-Imagn Images
Enough with the excuses and how he needs to grow with Drake Maye.
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This is the NFL. You either can, or you can't. Doubs had the chance to step up without A.J. Brown in the lineup. It just hasn't been what was expected.
Craig Woodson, Safety
After leading the team in defensive snaps as a rookie in 2025, it appears teams have located Woodson and looked to attack him.
He's been rock-solid against the run but has also given up some big plays in the passing game. Still gets lost a bit in open space, and that might be because he is playing out of position.
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He's better as a box safety, but New England needs reliability from him on the back end.
Morgan Moses, Tackle
First off, this is generally health-related with Moses, who has been an absolute warrior in the first five games.
Moses is hurting, but at age 35 has managed to play 93 percent of the offensive snaps.
He's given up more pressures than usual; again, he's battled through injuries, and on Saturday had tight end Hunter Henry doing the early work on Maxx Crosby to lessen his load.
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For the Patriots to match what they did in 2025, Moses has to play at the high level he was at. Hopefully, his body allows it.
This story was originally published by Athlon on Oct 14, 2026, where it first appeared in the NFL section. Add Athlon as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
