The New England Patriots' passing offense had its worst day in years on Sunday.
Tom Brady threw for a paltry 126 passing yards as the Patriots leaned on the ground game to gallop over the Buffalo Bills. New England rushed for 273 yards on 47 combined attempts.
The passing game, however, seems a concern. Brady's 126 passing yards were his fewest in a game since Week 17, 2014, versus Buffalo when TB12 played just one half and attempted only 16 passes. Brady completed just 54.2 percent of his 24 pass attempts, marking the third time this season he's been below the 55 percent completion mark.
After the 24-12 victory, coach Bill Belichick noted that the passing game could have been better, but mostly shrugged at making an assertion about the offense.
"Well, I think overall, our passing game will be better, could be better, but we ran the ball well and that offset it," he said. "Some days it's the running game, some days it's the passing game. We'll see what happens next week, but I have a lot of confidence in our quarterback, our receivers, our offensive line, our protection. When we need to throw, hopefully we'll be able to throw if we have to. If we need to run it, hopefully we'll be able to run."
On Monday morning, in his weekly hit on WEEI Radio, Brady added, "There were certainly some plays we could have executed better," via NFL Network's Mike Giardi.
Part of the issue for the Patriots' passing attack is the dwindling receiving corps. With Josh Gordon suspended and Rob Gronkowski playing with a piano on his back, the Pats have few receivers who can get open.
The other issue for New England is Brady's knee. The quarterback clearly doesn't look right as he deals with a left knee injury.
Despite evidence to the contrary, Brady insisted Monday he feels "great." He wouldn't discuss the knee injury when asked specifically if he's dealing with an MCL sprain.
"I am not getting into specifics with injuries. It just doesn't make any sense. ... It is football. There are a lot of guys dealing with a lot of things," Brady said, via Ryan Hannable of WEEI.
The good news for Brady and the Patriots is that a victory in Week 17 over the New York Jets would ensure a playoff bye. Brady certainly looks like he could use the rest.
