5 Changes the New England Patriots Need to Make During Extra Time off

The New England Patriots survived their Thursday Night Football game with a 27-25 win over the New York Jets, earning themselves an extra three days of rest and preparation for the final nine regular-season games on their schedule.

Playing on Thursday can be excruciating, but the mini bye week can be put to good use. Bill Belichick certainly didn't rest, satisfied with his team's 5-2 start to the year.

Here are five things that his coaching staff could be working on as the Patriots ready themselves for the Chicago Bears in Week 8, Denver Broncos in Week 9 and beyond.

Shore Up Run Defense

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The New England Patriots are in the unenviable position of having given up 126.3 yards per game in 2014, ranking them 24 out of 32 teams. As the weather turns colder and the teams become tougher, that will need to change.

Via Shalise Manza-Young of the Boston Globe, Vince Wilfork spoke up about the run defense:

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"Sometimes we tackled well, sometimes we didn’t,” Wilfork said after the game. “We’re going to go back and see the things that we did to give up over 200 yards rushing again. If I had to guess, it would be a lot of missed tackles and out-of-position plays and one or two guys might not be where they needed to be, things that are fixable, but to be a good defense you got to be able to do those things constantly."

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With Jerod Mayo out, Dont'a Hightower and Jamie Collins will need to do a lot more thinking on their own. Look for them to improve in the next couple of weeks as they grow in to their new roles.

Through seven games Pat Chung and the defensive secondary have stepped up to help the front seven. In the second half of the season, Bill Belichick won't want to see his defensive backs making as many stops in the run game.

Diversify the Pass Rush

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New year, same rushers. Chandler Jones and Rob Ninkovich are still carrying heavy loads rushing the quarterback. According to Pro Football Focus (subscription required), the duo has accounted for 43 of the 102 total quarterback pressures.

Add Dont'a Hightower to the mix—who has missed two games this year—and the trio accounts for over 50 percent of the successful pass rushes. 

In order to experience continued success, however, adding some additional rushers to the mix is of paramount importance. Rookies Dominique Easley and Zach Moore have been largely invisible, accounting for four pressures on 128 rushes. Easley especially needs to win some one-on-one battles.

If the defensive line can't get it done, look for defensive coordinator Matt Patricia to do some blitzing with Logan Ryan and Kyle Arrington off the edge, dropping a defensive lineman into coverage.

Integrate Brian Tyms and Aaron Dobson

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With all of the talented receiving threats that inhabit the middle of the field and the underneath areas—think Rob Gronkowski, Shane Vereen and Julian Edelman—it is shocking to see how successful they have been without a true threat outside to go with Brandon LaFell.

Aaron Dobson and Brian Tyms are the current prototypes at the "X" receiver position on New England's roster. However, their current production levels leave a lot to be desired. They have combined for four catches and 81 yards, with Tyms snagging a 43-yard touchdown on his lone reception.

What is more troubling is their lack of snaps. Sixty-two snaps in nine possible games—Tyms wasn't added to the roster until Week 6—doesn't make a defense respect the deep ball.

No matter which player sees the field, New England needs a player that can stretch the field against some of the top defenses they may see down the stretch.

Find Five on the Offensive Line

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Offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels has been searching for his best five linemen all year. Through injuries, poor play and all sorts of experimental shuffling, it is time to make a decision.

When Bryan Stork and Dan Connolly return to health, they need to head up the interior line along with Ryan Wendell. Nate Solder and Sebastian Vollmer should take the full reins of the offensive tackle positions.

Marcus Cannon has gained a lot of experience playing both guard and tackle, but his limitations have shown up in his pass protection. Jordan Devey and Josh Kline are in similar situations. Each has shown that they are ready to play at a moment's notice, but their best positions are on the bench at this point.

Some continuity at the offensive line spot can only help at this point.

Break Tendencies in Play-Calling

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Predictability is not what an offensive coordinator like Josh McDaniels strives for. However, if you see Tom Brady and the New England Patriots sprinting up to the line after a long play ending near the goal line, a quick snap count followed by an off-tackle run is sure to follow.

Look for the Patriots to add some constraint plays to prevent opposing defenses from jumping all over their bread and butter calls.

Instead of hitting Julian Edelman on the quick screen, pump-fake and hit the would-be blocker streaking down the field. Rather than handing the ball to Edelman on the jet sweep, throw another screen to Shane Vereen against the grain.

Self-scouting is something that is hard to find a lot of time for, but the extra time should give the Patriots coaching staff some time for the needed reflection.