FOXBORO — The Patriots won four of five games in December, during which time they averaged 26.6 points — down slightly from the 29.5 they averaged over the first 11 games and three months of the season.
But Tom Brady & Co. did not execute with its usual efficiency down the stretch.
It was more of the same Sunday as the Patriots closed out the regular season with a 26-6 win over the New York Jets in face-numbing and bone-freezing conditions at Gillette Stadium.
“We started fast and kind of sputtered there a little bit, but had the lead and defense played great,” Brady said.
The Patriots never trailed after winning the coin toss, surprisingly electing to receive and then taking a 7-0 lead as running back Dion Lewis capped a 13-play, 75-yard drive with a 3-yard touchdown run with 5:30 gone.
But they were limited to 90 yards the rest of the first half and tacked on another 155 after halftime before Brady was replaced by Brian Hoyer with 5:59 left to play.
The Patriots were a miserable 4 for 15 on third down and on their other two touchdown drives — one of which saw 49 of 73 yards come via penalty — were bailed out by questionable defensive holding calls.
Nonetheless, the Patriots won their third straight game to finish 13-3 after starting 2-2 and are favored to win Super Bowl LII. They’ll open the playoffs the weekend of Jan. 13-14.
Whether that offensive inefficiency carries over to the postseason is a question that won’t be answered for two weeks.
“We’ll see,” Brady said. “I mean, it’s going to be a different defense, different plan and we’ve just got to get going and execute better, and I think we can do that.”
It all starts with Brady, who is favored to be named NFL MVP for the third time but did not play like one in December.
That includes against the Jets. Brady was 18 of 37 for a season-low 199 yards against a defense that ranked 23rd in the league in points allowed and 24th in yards allowed.
He did toss two touchdowns, 5-yarders to receiver Brandin Cooks and Lewis, and — good news — saw his streak of five straight games with an interception (for a total of six) snapped.
Brady averaged 242 yards and completed 61.8 percent of his passes with six touchdowns and five interceptions in December. Those numbers were 307, 68.4, 26, and 4 in the first 11 games.
There are questions of whether Achilles and left shoulder injuries are bothering Brady more than he’s let on. And whether the 40-year-old GOAT is finally showing his age, perhaps worn down by a taxing season in which he’s lacked a number of skill players for long stretches.
Brady predictably took a pass when asked where he’s personally at entering the playoffs.
“I mean, football’s a team sport,” he said. “I mean, we’re 13-3. That’s the best in the AFC. That’s what we’re playing for, and that’s all that really matters.”
The Arctic conditions likely didn’t help Brady and the offense, but not a single player said it was a negative factor. Instead, the issue was a lack of execution.
What was particularly worrisome is the number of times Brady and his receivers weren’t on the same page. There was poor route running by Cooks, veteran receiver Danny Amendola and rookie tight end Jacob Hollister, the latter leading Brady to be called for intentional grounding.
“I think we’ve got some work to do,” Cooks said. “We’re not where we want to be and that’s what practice is for. And the great thing about it is we’ve got one more chance to be able to go out there and play our best.”
It obviously hasn’t helped playing without receiver Chris Hogan and running backs James White and Rex Burkhead, who have missed at least the past two games. But there’s no guarantee those players will be back for the playoffs and if they are, what they’ll provide.
The Patriots had a successful December record-wise, but to continue that trend in January they’re going to have to get Brady & Co. operating efficiently and productively.
—Contact Rich Garven at rgarven@telegram.com. Follow him on Twitter @RichGarvenTG.