7 Keys to Victory in New England Patriots' Week 5 Matchup

The roller coaster ride that has been the New England Patriots 2017 season continues. After bouncing back from a brutal Week 1 loss with two consecutive victories, the Patriots found themselves losers once again in Week 4.

The ups and downs haven't just spanned the season's opening month, they've been found within games. It took a last-minute comeback to beat the Houston Texans in Week 3, and New England nearly mounted another comeback against the Carolina Panthers on Sunday in Week 4. However, the defense couldn't hold Cam Newton and Co., who staged a walk-off field-goal drive.

Now, the Patriots find themselves on the verge of falling below .500. In order to avoid that outcome—and potentially falling behind in the AFC East race—New England must go into Tampa Bay and knock off the Buccaneers on a short week.

What do the Patriots need to do to get things back on track in Week 5? That's what we're here to examine.

New England Patriots at Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Where: Raymond James Stadium, Tampa, Florida

When: Thursday at 8:25 p.m. ET

National TV: NFL Network, Amazon Prime, CBS

Establish the Run

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The Patriots haven't had much trouble moving the ball through the air this season, even without stud receiver Julian Edelman. However, the ground game is still a major work in progress.

Part of the reason why the Patriots offense was so dangerous in 2016 is the fact the team could rely on the bruising running of LeGarrette Blount when necessary. He rushed for more than 1,100 yards and led the NFL with 18 rushing touchdowns. The Patriots were able to control the tempo of games and sustain drives because of him.

This year, that presence hasn't been there. As a team, the Patriots are ranked 20th in the NFL with an average of 95.5 yards per game on the ground. James White is the only running back on the roster averaging more than four yards per carry.

Perhaps giving more carries to Dion Lewis, who gained 27 yards on five runs against Carolina, could help.

"I think he's good with the ball in his hands," head coach Bill Belichick explained, per Kevin Duffy of MassLive.com. "Good vision. Runs hard. Low center of gravity. He's a hard guy to tackle. I think you could hand him the ball in any situation."

Establishing the run will be important if the Patriots don't want to put another game all on Tom Brady.

Do a Better Job of Protecting Brady

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Putting another game all on Brady could be dangerous. This is because the offensive line hasn't done a good job of protecting him. Brady has been sacked 13 times in four games, that's two fewer times than he was sacked in 12 games last season. He has been pressured and hit far more often.

Part of the problem is the fact the Patriots haven't been able to run the ball consistently. The team has utilized the short-passing game to supplement the ground game, and as a result, Brady has already thrown 155 passes.

A bigger part of the problem, though, has been the play of the offensive line. Brady is on pace for 620 pass attempts and 52 sacks. The last time Brady passed more than 620 times in a season was in 2015. He was sacked 38 times that season. This tells us that frequent drop backs are not the only problem. The line has to start playing better if Brady is going to survive the season.

"You don't just go in the tank," center David Andrews said, per Jeff Howe of the Boston Herald. "It's a long year."

The good news for New England is that the Buccaneers don't have the most formidable of pass rushes. In fact, Tampa has only produced one sack so far this season.

Pressure Jameis Winston

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The Buccaneers haven't been able to rack up sacks this season, but they aren't surrendering them at a rapid pace, either. Through three games, Tampa has only given up five sacks. They only gave up one sack against the New York Giants, who have one of the better defensive fronts in the NFL.

The Patriots have to figure out how to do a better job of pressuring Jameis Winston than other teams have done in 2017. Otherwise, the strong-armed quarterback is likely to slice the secondary apart. The Patriots are currently surrendering 324.0 passing yards per game, most in the NFL.

New England also has to do a better job of providing pressure than they have so far this season. Right now, the defense is averaging just two sacks per game.

That puts the team on pace for 32 sacks in 2017. A year ago, the Patriots had 34 sacks, tied for 16th in the NFL. The Patriots had an average pass rush in 2016. It's below average now. That has to change, starting with Thursday.

Communicate Better in the Secondary

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There are a couple of reasons why the New England pass defense has been so bad this season. One has been the lackluster pass rush. The other is the fact there has been rampant miscommunication in the back end of the defense.

There has been an alarming number of blown coverages in the Patriots secondary this season. Receivers have been so wide open that the only real explanation is a lack of proper communication. It's difficult to point fingers without knowing the defensive play calls, but newcomer Stephon Gilmore has been in the vicinity of many of those open receivers. 

Perhaps these issues should have been anticipated. Gilmore is more of a man corner, and he seems to be struggling with coverage transitions in the Patriots zone defense. To avoid these struggles, New England might want to try playing more man defense.

"That’s what I would do," former Patriots safety Rodney Harrison said, per Karen Guregian of the Boston Herald. "And as they prove they can handle more, you install more coverages."

If New England doesn't figure things out by Thursday, another quarterback is likely to have a big game.

Feature Brandin Cooks

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Along with Brady, wideout Brandin Cooks was the hero of New England's Week 3 comeback win. He racked up 131 yards and two touchdowns—including the game-winner—on five receptions. It was the type of game people were waiting on from Cooks, who was acquired for a first-round pick.

Cooks went back to being a mundane part of the offense against the Panthers last week. He caught three passes for 38 yards and no touchdowns. Those aren't the numbers of a No. 1 receiver.

New England needs to get Cooks going against the Buccaneers. There are a couple of reasons for this. The first is that Cooks' deep-threat potential can take the top off the defense. That can open up underneath routes and the running game for the Patriots.

Secondly, featuring Cooks early could force the Buccaneers to put cornerback Vernon Hargreaves, the team's best cover corner, on him. That would likely lead to less production from Cooks as the game goes on but would leave lesser cover guys on receivers like Chris Hogan and Danny Amendola. That benefits New England.

Aside from Hargreaves, there isn't a ton of talent in the Tampa secondary. The Patriots have the league's worst pass defense. The Buccaneers have the second-worst, allowing an average of 315.7 yards per game.

Shut Down Doug Martin and the Ground Game Early

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The Buccaneers haven't been great at defending the pass, and they haven't been great at running the ball either. As a team, Tampa is averaging just 84.7 yards per game on the ground, 26th in the NFL. Of course, the team hasn't had the help of running back Doug Martin, who is set to return from suspension.

The Patriots have had difficulty stopping the run—the team is allowing an average of 132.8 yards per game—and that needs to change Thursday.

Shutting down the run early would force the Buccaneers to become more one-dimensional on offense. Winston certainly has the ability to damage the Patriots through the air, but forcing Tampa to lean on the pass could actually help the defense.

If New England doesn't face the threat of a strong ground game, the Patriots can put more resources toward defending the pass and rushing the passer.

The worst thing the Patriots can do is allow Martin and the rest of Tampa's ground attack to gain confidence early or control the tempo of the game late.

Don't Give Up the Big Play

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This goes hand-in-hand with the Patriots' communication problems on defense—and it should probably go without saying—but New England absolutely cannot afford to surrender big plays to the Buccaneers if they hope to win.

A year ago, New England led the league in scoring defense, allowing just 15.6 points per game. This year, the team is 31st in football, allowing 32.0 points per contest. The difference is that where last year's team would stall drives and force field goals, this year's version is allowing touchdowns.

Long plays absolutely doomed New England last week against Carolina. The Panthers completed pass plays of 43, 28 and 25 yards. Fewer big plays might have allowed the Patriots' fourth-quarter comeback to be enough for victory.

Of course, limiting such plays will be easier said than done against the Buccaneers. Tampa has down-field pass-catchers like Mike Evans, DeSean Jackson and O.J. Howard, plus a quarterback in Winston who can push the ball down the field.

The Patriots have the offensive weapons to win a shootout, but they should try to avoid one if at all possible. As the Panthers proved last week, all a team needs is the last possession to win a shootout against New England.