Biggest Takeaways from New England Patriots' Week 16 Loss

It was exactly what they wanted but not exactly as they drew it up. 

Thanks to a questionable call after winning the overtime coin toss, the New England Patriots lost in dubious fashion Sunday with a 26-20 defeat to the New York Jets. 

The Patriots made that decision possible by kicking into high gear with about 20 minutes remaining in the game to finally mount a comeback. Who knows if they would have lost if they had taken the ball instead of kicking it. Who knows if they would have lost if a few key injured players had been available.

But those were just a few of the factors in the loss that surround the discussion in the aftermath. Here are some of the key takeaways. 

Don't Blame Matthew Slater and the Decision to Kick in Overtime

Peter Morgan/Associated Press

In case you immediately left your man cave to troll special teams ace Matthew Slater for "mistakenly" asking to kick in overtime, there are a few things you should know. First, you should know that Bill Belichick and Slater both went on record to say that Slater didn't make a mistake.

Second, you should know that it was, in fact, the right decision.

Think about it: Aside from one 11-play, 66-yard touchdown drive in the fourth quarter, what had the Patriots accomplished on offense against the Jets? The easy answer is not much at all. The Patriots defense, on the other hand, was coming off two straight three-and-out series and had held the Jets offense to just three points in the final 24 minutes of regulation.

All Belichick's defense needed to do at that point was to do what it had been doing for almost the entire second half: hold the Jets to either a field goal or no points at all. Everyone is entitled to his or her opinion on this decision, but everyone else's opinion is just wrong. Belichick made the right decision.

Patriots Feel the Sting of Offensive Injuries

Winslow Townson/Associated Press

Look at the box score from Sunday's game. The names at the top of the list for the Patriots offense are startling.

Brandon Bolden led the team in rushing yards. Keshawn Martin led the team in receptions and targets.

The Patriots are starting to feel the sting of all those injuries on offense.

They played without six players who had been starters this season: running backs Dion Lewis and LeGarrette Blount, wide receivers Julian Edelman and Danny Amendola, and offensive tackles Nate Solder and Sebastian Vollmer.

Specifically, the injuries to Vollmer, Edelman and Amendola had the biggest impact against the Jets. According to Pro Football Focus, Tom Brady was under pressure 16 of the 33 times he dropped back to throw—nearly 50 percent of the time. He was much worse in pressure situations, as is to be expected, completing 57.1 percent of his throws while under pressure compared to 82.4 percent with no pressure.

From Weeks 1-10, Brady completed 56.7 percent of his throws while under pressure; in Weeks 11-16, he completed just 45.5 percent of his throws while under pressure, per Pro Football Focus. The difference has been Edelman, who gives Brady his security blanket while under pressure. So long as Edelman is back in time for the playoffs and 100 percent, the Patriots offense should get a lot better when it matters most.

Patriots Run Defense Was Its Fatal Flaw

Jim O'Connor-USA TODAY Sports

When the Patriots defense has been its worst, the inability to stop the run has been the biggest problem.

On Sunday against the Jets, the Patriots defense let up 143 yards on 27 carries (5.3 yards per attempt). That is the third time in the past five games where the Patriots have allowed more than 120 rushing yards to their opponent.

They have lost all three games.

Needless to say, cleaning up the run defense could be a big determining factor in how far the Patriots make it in the playoffs. At times, their struggles have been a result of Dont'a Hightower's absence from the defense, and although he was on the field Sunday, it looked as though he was less than 100 percent.

That being said, the Patriots had better hope that is the only problem in their run defense.

Defense Was the Reason the Patriots Had a Chance to Win

Jim O'Connor-USA TODAY Sports

This is an addendum to the previous slide.

Yes, the run defense needs to improve. At the same time, the Patriots defense was the only reason they even had a chance Sunday against the Jets.

Defensive end Jabaal Sheard had a sack-fumble, which was recovered by linebacker Jamie Collins and taken back for a touchdown. Multiple key late-game third-down stops helped the Patriots climb (or crawl) back into the game.

Of course, the game nearly ended in regulation, were it not for a dropped pass by wide receiver Quincy Enunwa that could have been a touchdown or at least have given the Jets the ball inside the red zone. And of course, it did end thanks to a long catch and run by Enunwa in overtime that helped set up the winning score.

But were it not for the efforts of the defense in the second half, the Patriots would have never had a chance to decide whether to kick or receive in overtime, because there wouldn't have been any overtime.

Devin McCourty and Patrick Chung Can't Get Back Soon Enough

Elise Amendola/Associated Press

Well, OK, the headline of this slide is somewhat false. The divisional round of the playoffs is soon enough for safeties Devin McCourty and Patrick Chung to make their return.

Take nothing away from Duron Harmon and Jordan Richards, but McCourty and Chung have held up the back end of the Patriots defense for the past two seasons and have been effective in doing so.

The Patriots were without both men Sunday against the Jets, and Ryan Fitzpatrick had a field day. Eric Decker and Brandon Marshall are not easy receivers to cover, but it's a job that gets much easier with McCourty and Chung on the field.

That being said, Fitzpatrick put up similar numbers against the Patriots in Week 7 (56.4 percent completions, 295 yards, two touchdowns, 97.7 passer rating) as he did in Week 16 (63.4 percent completions, 296 yards, three touchdowns, 109.4 passer rating).

Sometimes, you just have to give credit where it's due. But the Patriots defense is much better with these two on the field than without.