Although the New England Patriots are at the top of the AFC East with a 4-2 record and on a three-game win streak, it still feels like there’s big holes within the team.

This past weekend, the Pats defeated the New Orleans Saints 25-19. The win came with a rollercoaster of emotions that came down to some turnovers by the Pats defense. The game before that, took a late-game field goal to pull it out. Not to mention the losses to the Steelers and Raiders shouldn’t have happened in the first place.

Here’s my breakdown on what’s happening.

No run game

Even with Antonio Gibson suffering a season-ending ACL injury against the Buffalo Bills a week prior, the Pats haven’t been able to have a decent run game all season. Rhamondre Stevenson has hasn’t rushed for over 60 yards in one game all season. So far he has 157 yards on 51 carries, but has 3 fumbles. Rookie Treveyon Henderson hasn’t rushed for over 50 yards in a single game yet. The Pats are in trouble when it comes to the running game.

Hopefully the Pats will be able to find a way to get the ball moving when it comes to the running game. I’d like to see some classic I-formation, power running, jet sweeps, and Drake Maye to continue scrambling. I’m tired of mostly seeing handoffs out of the shotgun formation. Seeing some more variety in the run game would help the Pats a lot. The offensive line hasn’t been awful, but they haven’t been able to play well for an entire four quarters.

Relying too much on Drake Maye

This may seem like an oxymoron because I’m calling for Maye to be a bigger impact in the running game, but the past games Maye has been doing too much. Now don’t get me wrong, I love that he hasn’t panicked late in games, but it shouldn’t even be coming to that in most matchups. Too many third-and-long situations or times when Maye has to extend plays and make throws that make Pats fans heart skip a beat.

The answer to this is getting the run game going and limiting penalties.

Little to no defensive pressure up front

The Patriots sit right in the middle of the pack with 13 sacks on the season. Defensive end Keion White has been battling an injury. To put it plain and simple, if the the Patriots aren’t blitzing, it’s unlikely the front four are getting to the quarterback in a timely fashion. Thankfully the secondary has been good which has made QB’s hold onto the ball a bit longer. However, the lack of pressure has been lackluster compared to what the defensive backs have been able to do. Eventually it’s going to catch up to the Pats.

I’d like to see the Patriots get more creative about the pressure they send. They’re top 10 in allowing fewest rushing yards. So that’s a bright spot, but when it comes to defending the pass, Pats have to find a way.