4 Issues the New England Patriots Still Have to Fix to Be a Serious Contender

If the playoffs started today, the New England Patriots would be the No. 1 seed in the AFC. 

It is hard to imagine considering how poorly the Patriots' defense has played all season long. Just about every quarterback they've faced has been able to put up some serious statistics against them. Who knows what this team's record would be without Brady and that offense. 

New England is surely playoff bound at this point. Looking ahead, they've got an incredibly easy schedule. They should win all four of the games remaining, but there is a reason we play the games on Sundays. 

The bigger issue for the Patriots is becoming a playoff team. They are certainly a good enough team to get there, but are they good enough to win playoff games?

They'll have some tough tests in the AFC. Patriots fans are hoping and praying to dodge Baltimore and Pittsburgh in the playoffs, but in all likelihood New England will have to beat at least one of those teams to get to the Super Bowl.

If they are going to do so, they will need to address these four issues.

Fix the Slow Starts

The Patriots have been shooting themselves in the foot at the beginning of games by not getting that offense rolling right away.

Tom Brady and company form one of the most prolific passing offenses in the game today. Everyone they face knows that they are going to throw the ball. It is no mystery. 

Why the Patriots don't come out in that hurry up offense that gives so many defenses issues earlier still baffles me. In last week's game against the Colts, the Patriots showed perfection in the hurry up offense as they marched down the field. I understand that it was the Colts, but this isn't the first time we've seen this kind of dominance when running the hurry up.

It would be a great way to set the tempo for the team right out of the gate. 

When playoff time comes and you are facing the elite teams in your conference, you can't waste drives. Running BenJaruvs Green-Ellis in to the line and then trying to throw for the first on 3rd-and-10 is not the way to gain momentum. 

The Patriots can't afford to be playing from behind too often in playoff games because they can't trust their defense to make a big stop. 

If they don't shake the habit of the slow starts, they won't last very long this postseason.

The Secondary

This is the most obvious flaw on this New England Patriots team.

How long have we been saying that the secondary needs to improve or it will come back to haunt the Patriots? I think Patriots fans are just waiting for that one game where having a terrible secondary will be the downfall of this team. 

That day will most likely come this postseason if they do not improve.

They are currently ranked dead last in the NFL allowing a staggering 310 passing yards per game. They gave up an embarrassing 21 unanswered points to Dan Orlovsky and the winless Indianapolis Colts last week. 

This Patriots secondary is in big trouble come playoff time. 

The one positive is the AFC playoff picture is missing an elite passing game other than New England. Ben Roethlisberger and Joe Flacco are good quarterbacks, but they aren't in big passing offenses. It is possible that the Patriots may be able to make it to the Super Bowl with this secondary.

However, what happens if they run in to Aaron Rodgers in the Super Bowl? Now that is a scary thought.

If the Patriots want to be considered a serious threat this postseason, that secondary needs to show some improvement. Any kind of step forward, no matter how small, could be the difference. 

Improve the Running Game

I always preach that teams should play to their strengths.

It is no different for the Patriots. We all know that New England is a pass first team and that is what is going to win them their games more often than not. 

However, we've seen time and time again what the presence of a run game can do for the passing attack. The Patriots have a slew of running backs with a variety of skill sets. This includes Stevan Ridley and Shane Vereen, two rookie running backs that the Patriots have sporadically used this season.

It is clear that BenJarvus Green-Ellis is your No. 1 option, but he is limited. His skill set best suits him running between the tackles and getting physical with the defense. He isn't going to rip off huge runs, but he also won't turn the ball over. 

Green-Ellis' best strength this year has been his ability to score down on the goal line. He has put up eight rushing touchdowns this year while only having 599 rushing yards. The only time the "Law Firm" has topped 100 yards this season was against the New York Jets Week 5 and it took him 27 carries to do it.

The Patriots will need some sort of a running threat if they want tough defenses like the Steelers and Ravens to dedicate defenders to stopping it. Otherwise we are going to just see those defenses play physical on New England's wideouts all game and shut down the passing attack. 

Getting defenses to commit to stopping the run and giving Tom Brady the threat of the play-action pass will go a long way in being successful this postseason.

The Pass Rush

The Patriots pass rush has certainly improved from last season.

The offseason additions of guys like Andre Carter and Mark Anderson have done wonders for what was one of the league's worst pass rushing defenses. Carter currently leads the team with nine sacks while Anderson is in a close second with seven. 

New England's pass rush hasn't necessarily been a weakness for them this year, but it is something they will certainly need to win playoff games. 

The pass rush is the one part of that defense that could actually help the secondary. Rushing the passer will give him a lot less time to throw and a lot less time for receivers to run their routes. Thus creating a whole lot less chances for the Patriots secondary to give up a big play. 

The pass rush will be linked to the success of the offense as strange as that sounds.

New England will need to get that offense going early and establish a lead. You want opposing defenses to have to throw to come back, making them one dimensional. This will allow your edge rushers to pin their ears back and get after the quarterback. 

This team really isn't built to play from very far behind on the scoreboard. All of these flaws that need to be fixed will play off of one another. 

They may not fix them all come playoff time, but the Patriots will have to make some improvements if they plan on making a deep run this year.