New England Patriots: 5 Things They Must Improve to Win the AFC East

The New England Patriots may be the favorites to win the AFC East going into the season, but in order to be a lock, they must improve in certain areas.

The Pats 34-10 loss to the Detroit Lions last night revealed some weaknesses that need to be worked on leading up to the regular-season start, which is now just two weeks away.

Here are five things the Patriots must improve in order to win the AFC East this season. 

Offensive Line

In last night's game, the offensive line couldn't block anybody.

Tom Brady was either rushed, hurried, sacked or knocked down on a good portion of the plays.

Cliff Avril sacked Brady two times and as a team, the Detroit Lions hit him seven times in the game.

That is simply not acceptable play for an offensive line as talented as the Patriots'. 

With talented players like Matt Light, Dan Koppen, Logan Mankins and first-round pick Nate Solder, you've got to believe the line will improve in time for the regular season—but if they don't, the Patriots are in trouble.

Secondary

The Patriots' secondary looked less than stellar against the Detroit Lions, getting torched by Matt Stafford continuously.

Stafford was able to complete 12 of 14 passes for 200 yards and two scored, a line that won't lead to many wins for the Patriots if it continues.

Apart from Devin McCourty, the Patriots have some serious question marks in their secondary.

First-round pick Ras-I Dowling has yet to play in a preseason game, and Darius Butler seems like he still hasn't lived up to his talent as he is still picked on by opposing quarterbacks.

The safety position also has some question marks without a solidified starter next to Patrick Chung.

Brandon Meriweather always seems to be on Bill Belichick's bad side, and James Sanders struggles to stay on the field.

Second-year man Sergio Brown showed some talent at the safety position against the Lions, racking up nine tackles, one for a loss. 

Once the safety and corner spot, opposite McCourty, are solidified, the Pats' secondary should improve.

If it doesn't improve, this season will be a repeat of last year when the Pats were one of the worst teams against the pass in the NFL.  

Health

The exit of Wes Welker last night with a neck injury added to the list of players the Patriots need to get healthy before the regular season begins.

Welker is a key piece to the Patriots' offense and if he is not healthy, the offensive plan severely changes.

The offense also has to get early preseason stand-out Stevan Ridley back healthy as he looked like the best back on the team in the first two preseason games. 

Defensively, the Patriots have some significant injuries as well. 

Ras-I Dowling, who returned to practice Monday, has been hampered with a lingering hamstring injury that needs to be 100-percent healthy for the regular season if he wants to be a factor. 

Bill Belichick has taken the precautionary route and held him out of the three preseason games to ensure he will be healthy when the team travels to Miami on opening weekend. 

Wide Receivers

Aside from Wes Welker (now injured), the wide receiver play has been underwhelming, at best.

The big offseason acquisition, Chad Ochocinco, has just two receptions this preseason, albeit one a touchdown, but he needs to learn the offense better and get into a rhythm with Tom Brady before the regular season.

The next best target this season has been Matthew Slater, a career special teams guy who may not be a main part of the receiving corps.

The Patriots will need Deion Branch, Taylor Price and Brandon Tate to step it up big time when the regular season rolls around, or else Brady will be relying heavily on his two big tight ends, Aaron Hernandez and Rob Gronkowski.  

Pass Rush

At points this preseason, the Patriots' front seven have shown the ability to rush the quarterback, but the pass rush has been inconsistent. 

If they want to be an effective defense, they will need to learn how to consistently rush the quarterback.

The defense was able to sack the Lion's quarterbacks two times last night, one from corner Kyle Arrington, but they only hit the quarterback three times.

Getting Albert Haynesworth on the field at some point will certainly help the pass rush, but the edge rushers will need to improve their game in order for the Patriots' front seven to be effective.

They have the personnel to have a great pass rush, but they have yet to put it together, consistently, on the field of play.