Super Bowl XLVI: What New England Must Learn from Upset to Get Back to Big Game

The 2011-12 New England Patriots were a great team but they weren’t without flaws.

Unfortunately, those were exposed in the final game of the season when the New York Giants beat them yet again in the Super Bowl.

If the Pats want to continue to be dominant in the Tom Brady and Bill Belichick era, here are three things they need to take away from the game and work on in the offseason.

Strengthen Pass Rush

The Patriots defense wasn’t terrible in the big game, but they could have been much better.

New England brought Eli Manning down three times, but he wasn’t harassed and forced to throw the ball early nearly enough.

Adding an elite pass-rusher or two—via free agency, trades or the draft—should be priority number one for this team as it would fix many of their defensive woes.

Bolster Secondary

The safeties and corners for the Patriots this season were a ragtag group of unheralded players.

They stepped up in the spotlight of the Super Bowl, but they almost didn’t get to the game because of their play.

This team isn’t going to get back to another February game unless they acquire some true gamers in the secondary and stop using converted QB/WR’s like Julian Edelman.

Protect Brady

The safety on the Patriots’ first possession turned out to be much more costly than anyone could have imagined.

They would have only needed to get in field goal range on the final drive, not try to futilely throw a Hail Mary into the end zone.

Brady was constantly under attack by the Giants’ front four throughout the game and the Pats’ need to think about overhauling their offensive line this summer.

Adding a new starter or two and some backups that can contribute would go a long way.