Kevin McNamara: Pats face challenges on both sides of the ball

In a rare moment of clarity last week, Bill Belichick let on that, like virtually every other NFL fan with a clue, he watched the Los Angeles Rams outgun the Kansas City Chiefs in one of the highest scoring games in NFL history.

Any takeaways, coach?

"Yeah, the Jets. That’s my takeaway, getting ready for the Jets," he sniffed.

Really Bill? Sorry but we know you watched more than "a little bit of it." That [...]

In a rare moment of clarity last week, Bill Belichick let on that, like virtually every other NFL fan with a clue, he watched the Los Angeles Rams outgun the Kansas City Chiefs in one of the highest scoring games in NFL history.

Any takeaways, coach?

“Yeah, the Jets. That’s my takeaway, getting ready for the Jets,” he sniffed.

Really Bill? Sorry but we know you watched more than “a little bit of it.” That game was impossible to turn off, especially the second half when we saw everything from an electrifying Tyreek Hill breakaway touchdown, to a strip sack returned for a TD, to two Jared Goff scoring passes, to not one, but two, game-ending Patrick Mahomes interceptions.

When it was over, the Rams had beaten the Chiefs, 54-51. The teams had combined for 14 touchdowns, including three by defensive players. The 105 points were the third-most in NFL history and for the first time ever both teams totaled at least 50 points.

Sorry Bill, but it’s tough to believe you turned that one off. What is believable is that you and your staff met the next day and that that game came up right away. It should come up because this is what the Patriots will need to trump if they have any plans of maneuvering to a third straight Super Bowl appearance and then coming home with another Lombardi Trophy.

With the playoffs finally coming into view, what’s clear is the NFL wants, and will prop up, explosive offense. Through the opening 11 weeks of the season, fans have seen more points (7,791), touchdowns (895) and TD passes (570) than at any time in the history of the league.

Remember the days of three yards and a cloud of dust? Gone baby, gone.

Over the last two weeks, the Patriots coaching staff has ripped through game films during the infamous "self-scouting" process that every staff undertakes during a bye week. Considering the team is coming off its worst November loss in eons (Titans 34, Pats 10), those meetings were no doubt revealing.

The question to consider as the Patriots’ season resumes on Sunday against the hapless Jets at MetLife Stadium is which side of the ball faces the biggest challenge the rest of the way?

Is it an offense that seemingly can’t get all of its weapons on the same page, or a defense that continues to show only a modicum of improvement over last year’s Super Bowl embarrassment?

The Patriots clearly have issues on both sides of the ball. While they have plenty of ammunition to pocket two wins over the Jets and one each against the Dolphins and Bills, their seasons are never about AFC East titles. This is a franchise that counts only AFC championship contests and Super Bowls as certifiable Big Games.

This Pats team has enough firepower to play in one of those games, and maybe even win them. But it’s clear many loose ends need to be tied together over the final six weeks of the regular season.

What’s becoming clear is that whether it’s at Arrowhead Stadium or Gillette, the Patriots seem like they’re destined for a date with the Chiefs in January. The one thing we know about the Chiefs is that they will score. They’re averaging 34.8 points in nine wins and go down swinging (and scoring) even in their two losses where they put up 40 and 51 points.

So the Patriots need to be a team that can both light up the scoreboard and slow down Mahomes, Hill, Kareem Hunt and Travis Kelce if only a bit, just like they did in a 43-40 win in Foxboro in mid-October.

That’s why the team’s biggest issues lie on the defensive side of the ball. The offense is still led by the team’s most important player, Tom Brady. The Pats have enough weapons to score the bushel of points they’ll need to match up with the Chiefs with one provision — they need to get fully healthy. Give Brady a lineup with Rob Gronkowski, Julian Edelman, Josh Gordon and James White and he will hang points on the scoreboard.

“A lot of teams deal with injuries and moving parts and bringing different people in. That’s just part of football, but we’re trying to adjust and adapt like everyone else,” Brady said. “Some weeks it’s been better than others. We’re just trying to grind our way through it.”

The defense is a different issue. After watching the Pats and Eagles total 1,151 yards in the Super Bowl last February, no one was upset with seeing the Rams and Chiefs combine for 1,001. This is an offense-first league. The three best defensive teams (statistically speaking) in the AFC are Baltimore (5-5), Buffalo (3-7) and Jacksonville (3-7). There’s a good chance none makes the playoffs.

New England is 24th in overall defense and 25th in passing defense in the NFL. It’s impossible to watch Patrick Chung, Devin McCourty and Duron Harmon in the secondary and not wonder if they can slow down potent passing attacks. And they’re all good players. It's tough to hold much confidence in Jason McCourty, Jonathan Jones or whoever else Belichick rolls out in the secondary.

So it's easy to wonder if the Pats are good enough to keep pace with the Chiefs and the Steelers in the playoffs. Could they really check the Rams or Drew Brees and the Saints in the Super Bowl?

That's what Belichick and his coaches have to be wondering after watching the explosive Rams and dangerous Chiefs light each other up in the highest scoring Monday night football game ever.