The New England Patriots remain in the playoff hunt with four games left on the schedule, but the team's offensive struggles have fans feeling pessimistic about their chances.
Those issues were evident again in Monday night's win over the Arizona Cardinals. While second-year quarterback Mac Jones downplayed his visible frustration with the offense and endorsed play-caller Matt Patricia, there still seems to be a disconnect on the field.
Cassel's Mailbag: Getting to the root of the Patriots' offensive struggles
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How does the rest of the nation perceive the Patriots as they look to make a playoff push? NFL Red Zone's Scott Hanson joined Tom E. Curran on a new Patriots Talk Podcast to share a national perspective.
Patriots Talk: Can the Patriots clean it up for playoff push? | Listen & Subscribe | Watch on YouTube
"From the way I see the 10,000-foot view of the NFL, I don't think the nation looks at the Patriots like they're a team you don't want to play if they happen to get in (the playoffs)," Hanson said. "There are teams right now -- obviously there's the elite teams --- and then there's team where it's like, OK, this team's going to get into the playoffs but they look like they're a one-and-done. Then there's teams that are like, this team might get into the playoffs and if they do, you don't want to see them right now.
New England Patriots
"If they get in the playoffs, people are like, 'I wouldn't mind the matchup. I wouldn't mind the Patriots coming into our stadium,' and whatnot. And I think that's where the Patriots are."
Also discussed in the episode: Will Mac Jones’ frustration with play-calling linger into the Raiders game? What do players mean by wanting to be coached harder? Why the Raiders are a tougher matchup than you think. And would you rather have Mac Jones or Derek Carr?
Check out the latest episode of the Patriots Talk Podcast on the NBC Sports Boston Podcast Network, or watch on YouTube.