Tom Brady has led the Patriots to an AFC-best 5-1 record, and the offense leads the NFL in yards per game and is third in points per game. And it actually looks like a better unit than the one that scored 77 more points than anyone else in the league last year.
Yet, those within the New England locker room know there are two specific areas where they've got to improve — turnovers and red-zone efficiency.
The Patriots have been uncharacteristically sloppy with the football with 10 total turnovers through six games, which already matches last season's entire output. The 10 giveaways (eight interceptions, two fumbles) are tied for the ninth most in the NFL.
Brady has also doubled his interception total from a season ago when he was historically great in that category. His eight picks are also six shy of his career high (2002, 2004 and 2005).
They've been troubled in the red zone, too. First off, the Patriots lead the NFL with 30 red-zone possessions, 19 red-zone touchdowns, 26 red-zone scores and 155 red-zone points (28 more than anyone else), which shows that they've got no issues with getting inside the 20-yard line.
But they haven't been satisfied with their efficiency in the red area. Brady was noticeably angry after the victory against the Jets because the Patriots left so many points on the field, and the problems cropped up again against the Cowboys.
They certainly aren't awful by any stretch of the imagination. They've scored touchdowns on 63.3 trips to the red zone, which ranks seventh in the NFL, and they've scored points on 86.7 percent of their red-zone visits, which ranks 15th.
The Patriots' offense looks great yet again, but they also know where they want to get better as they prepare to come off the bye week.
"It's nice to be in the position we're in," wide receiver Wes Welker said. "There's still a long ways to go. By no means have we won the division, or even close to it or anything like that. We're still a long ways off from where we need to be. We'll take these few days to relax and really get back to work and make a run in the second half of the season."
