Rob Gronkowski identifies the ‘major issue’ with Patriots amid poor season

Rob Gronkowski identifies ‘major issue’ with Patriots amid poor season originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston

The New England Patriots are 2-7 for the first time since 2000, and the losing doesn’t look like they’re going to stop anytime soon.

The Patriots had several chances to beat the Washington Commanders at home in Week 9, but they couldn’t execute well enough offensively late in the game and lost 20-17. While the defense certainly isn’t playing at a high level, the main concern for this team is the offense.

New England is the second lowest scoring team in the league at 15 points per game. The Patriots offense also ranks 27th in total yards per game and third down percentage.

These offensive struggles stand in stark contrast to what we have seen over most of the past two decades. One player who played an important role in some of the Patriots’ elite offenses during that period was tight end Rob Gronkowski.

He joined the “Up & Adams” show Wednesday on FanDuel TV and offered his opinion on the Patriots’ current situation.

“It’s a little weird that they’re in last place with the worst record in the AFC,” Gronkowski said. “It’s weird. It’s hard to talk about because it’s so weird. I would say they don’t look like Coach Belichick’s team. They don’t look like they’re coached by Coach Belichick at all.”

While there are a lot of issues with the Patriots right now, there is one particular weakness that stands out for Gronk.

“The problem with the Patriots is they go into a lot of games, and they don’t know how to close a deal,” Gronkowski said. “For example, in last week’s game against the Commanders, JuJu Smith-Schuster had a game-winning chance to lose the game. They had another chance, but JuJu dropped the ball. If you go back to a couple of the other games, ‘There are many similar situations where They can’t close at all. This team can’t close and that’s the main problem.”

The Patriots have a lackluster 1-4 record in games decided by one score this season. New England has typically found ways to consistently win these close games, thanks in large part to the stellar play of legendary quarterback Tom Brady. The current Patriots have lacked the discipline and execution required to come out victorious in this type of game. They have been plagued by penalties and bad turnovers all season.

The Patriots will return to action on Sunday when they face the Indianapolis Colts of Germany. Another loss would be very troubling for the Patriots considering they have won nine of their last 10 games against the Colts.