Despite a nine-game win streak, the New England Patriots enter their Monday Night Football matchup this week with some concerns.
The Patriots host the New York Giants eight days after they squeaked out a 26-20 win over the Cincinnati Bengals. Their 10-2 record comes with some criticism ahead of their upcoming matchup.
On two separate occasions, the Patriots failed to get into the end zone from the one-yard line. This week, offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels spoke to the media and was grilled about the team’s failure at the goal line.
McDaniels Knows the Patriots Offense Must Do Better in the Red Zone
“I think at the end of the day, that’s not an easy place to score from if you don’t execute a lot of little things well,” McDaniels said. “There was one play we probably shouldn’t have called based on the way the defense presented it. That was on me.”
McDaniels also brought up the offensive pass interference call that held up the team from coming away with six points.
“We had the one where we scored, and were called for offensive PI, so there’s a lot of little things that have to happen to get 36 inches down there sometimes.”
New England Patriots running back TreVeyon Henderson (32) carries the ball in the first quarter of the NFL Week 12 game between the Cincinnati Bengals and the New England Patriots at Paycor Stadium in downtown Cincinnati on Sunday, Nov. 23, 2025. | Sam Greene/The Enquirer / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
It appears this was no easy week of practice, one in which the Patriots could feel a bit of optimism after the six-point win over a team many felt was inferior to them. McDaniels noted that the offense learned a lot from watching film of the game this week.
“I think we learned a very valuable lesson from watching the tape,” McDaniels said. “There’s a lot we can do better in the short area, to try and get it in. We can’t take anything for granted down there. Regardless of what the play is, or how many times we think we’ve prepped it, we certainly have to do a better job of converting those opportunities into touchdowns. Those eventually determine the outcome of games. We were fortunate we weren’t on the losing end.”
The Patriots’ Fourth Down Efficiency Was in Question
The Patriots’ longtime offensive coordinator also brought up the dynamic he has with head coach Mike Vrabel, including how they run things offensively and how they approach fourth-down decisions. The reason the topic was brought up was the failed fourth-and-goal run by Rhamondre Stevenson in the third quarter, which the Bengals’ defense stopped at the goal line.
Josh McDaniels says “without question” he has “zero concerns” about Mike Vrabel’s feel for how to handle 4th downs on offense:
“…I think he has an incredible understanding of our team – where we’re at, what kind of game it is…It’s not about having some kind of blind bravado or… pic.twitter.com/L703q9rF1X
— Tom Carroll (@yaboiTCfresh) November 28, 2025
“I think he has an incredible understanding of our team—where we’re at, what kind of game it is,” McDaniels said. “It’s not about having some kind of blind bravado or anything like that. He’s got a great feel for it. He knows exactly what’s happening on all three phases. We’re really locked in to one. So I trust Mike and what he’s doing implicitly in every situation.”
The Patriots have had success offensively with Drake Maye slinging it deep to his wide receivers all season, but they are currently 20th in the league in red-zone offense. They’re a favorite against the Giants this week, but don’t be surprised if New York stays in the game if the Pats have to settle for field goals.
Nov 13, 2025; Foxborough, Massachusetts, USA; New England Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel huddles up before the game against the New York Jets at Gillette Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Eric Canha-Imagn Images | Eric Canha-Imagn Images
Not to mention, the Patriots will have offensive line struggles with Will Campbell on IR with a knee injury and left guard Jared Wilson also being out.
It may take a lot more than that to get to 10 straight wins this week.