The Patriots offense is a mess and there are a variety of reasons why the offense has struggled.

Much of it falls on play caller Matt Patricia who has struggled to develop Mac Jones, get his playmakers the ball and get consistent production from the offensive line.

Those are some of the reasons this Patriots offense has struggled. Here are some reasons as well.

1. Patricia has too much on his plate- Matt Patricia is a smart and a talented coach but giving him play calling duties and the offensive line was too much responsibility. It is hard enough enough being the primary play caller and then to have to coach the offensive line makes it even harder. Patricia shouldn’t have both roles. It should be one or the other.

2. The offensive line- Along those lines, the performance of the offense is directly tied to the performance of the offensive line. This group has struggled mightily with consistency issues. Rookie Cole Strange has especially struggled and he has been benched at various points this season. Again, the performance of this unit falls on Patricia. He and Assistant Offensive Line Coach Billy Yates need to do a better job with this group.

3. The regression of Mac Jones- Mac Jones has taken a step back. Take the Minnesota game out of the equation and he has had a tough season. Between his injured ankle and inconsistent play, he has regressed and ultimately, that falls on Patricia and Judge who were tasked with taking his game to the next level. His frustration has been visible going all the way back to training camp and while he has taken the high road in press conferences, Jones confidence has taken a hit and it is affecting his play.

4. Lack of touches for key players-The lack of quality touches for Kendrick Bourne, Hunter Henry and Jonnu Smith only makes things worse when it comes to this Patriots offense. Patrica and Joe Judge have done a poor job in terms of getting their best players the ball. The Patriots have invested a lot of money in their skill group the last two years and to be getting so little out of them is discouraging. To go from an offense that featured jet and fly sweeps, reverses and gadgets to an offense that is conservative and predictable is frustrating for the players and fans alike.

5. Play Calling- Patricia’s play calling has left a lot to be desired. The Patriots running game is inconsistent. The passing game is limited and there is a general lack of creativity. Patricia calls plays like a high school coach at times. He focuses too much on setting things up as opposed to calling plays to get his best players the ball. The Patriots do nothing to keep defenses off balance which is remarkable considering that Belichick and Patricia are defensive coaches and they know what is tough to defend and what isn’t. Patricia has looked like a first year play-caller at various points this season.

The Patriots can fix many of the issues that plague them offensively but it has to start at the top. Belichick, Patricia and Judge all need to look in the mirror and figure things out. If they don’t, the Patriots will find themselves out of the playoffs.