During the New England Patriots' 4-13 season, their worst in 30 years, there was a glaringly obvious weak link.
Despite the Patriots' abysmal record, the defense held up relatively well even with some stars missing most of the season. On the other hand, the offense may have been the worst in franchise history, as it was hard to find a single stat that New England didn't finish near the bottom of the league in.
The Patriots were shut out at home - twice - and tied with the 2-15 Carolina Panthers scoring the fewest points in the NFL.
With one unit vastly outperforming the other, there's naturally going to be a bit of a disconnect. Defensive players kept things mostly cordial during the season, but now that it's over and their grievances are beginning to come to light. One of the first to do so was cornerback Jonathan Jones, who used an apt analogy to describe the situation.
"I feel like it's inevitable," Jones said, per NBC Sports Boston. "If you're in a marriage and you're the only one putting in work, and that's how you feel, eventually that's going to come out as frustration. ...
"It's literally that feeling of like, if you wake up and you feel like consistently week in and week out you're the only one that's still showing up that's going to start to develop some frustration."
Meanwhile, star edge rusher Matthew Judon, who missed most of the year with a torn bicep, gave the impression of a disappointed father when airing his frustration. The Patriots sack artist responded to a question of whether he wanted quarterback Mac Jones back next season with a candid "I don't care," adding that he just wants to see the offense produce.
"[I want] our offense to score points and sustain drives," Judon said, per NBC Sports Boston. "Regardless of if that's Mac [Jones], Bailey [Zappe], somebody else - I don't care. I think both Mac and Zappe have the talent to do it, they just have to do it - that's going to be up to them.
"The offseason is a chance to get better and come back a different player. I think they both can do it and they both have the skillset to do it, they just have to do it."
Between the No. 3 overall pick and nearly $70 million in cap space, the Patriots have an abundance of resources to fix the offense however they see fit. For the sake of their defensive players, hopefully they get it right.
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