Before the Patriots kicked off their season opener four months ago, their roster holes were as troubling as they were obvious.

Those were, in order: offensive tackle, wide receiver, offensive guard and a quarterbacks room that didn’t house a player capable of elevating the offense. Time, most figured, would heal these wounds; offensive line starters returning and young wideouts developing. Neither happened.

And after their 4-13 slog of a season, the Patriots can point to those same position groups – plus a few tough breaks – as chief reasons for their demise. They could not pass protect, generate explosive plays nor elevate Mac Jones, who instead lost his confidence and broke in real time. Their offense averaged 13.9 points per game, second-worst in the league, and lost three games when the defense allowed 10 points or fewer.

There is no secret to what happened to the 2023 Patriots. This was a bad team undone by poor roster construction, some internal dysfunction and downright terrible quarterback play. Bailey Zappe saved his worst for last in Sunday’s snowy season finale, a loss that spotlighted all of the Patriots’ shortcomings.

So instead of breaking down why Sunday’s game, like we have all others this season, here is a review of what else the film revealed about the 2023 season, including a few bright spots:

Accurate throw percentage: 68.7%

Under pressure: 38-of-69 for 394 yards, 2 TDs, 3 INTs

Against the blitz: 35-of-61 for 373 yards, 2 INTs (11 sacks)

Behind the line: 36-of-39 for 244 yards, TD

0-9 yards downfield: 64-of-94 for 459 yards, TD, 5 INTs

10-19 yards downfield: 17-of-38 for 272 yards, 2 TDs, 2 INTs

20+ yards downfield: 10-of-27 for 297 yards, 2 TDs, 2 INTs

Notes: Zappe bookended his brief stint as the Patriots’ starter with bad performances in worse weather. Between, though, he set off a few memorable fireworks.

Zappe expanded the passing game downfield in a way Mac Jones hadn’t for months, including back-to-back games at Denver and Buffalo that included one upset and two of the Pats’ highest explosive play rates of the season. A few of these fireworks, however, went off in his hands, as Zappe couldn’t shake the turnover bug that also plagued Jones. Overall, Zappe was also more inaccurate than his predecessor, but handled pressure better; which all together underscored his place in the league as a likely backup with clear limitations but more creativity than the robotic Jones.

Accurate throw percentage: 73.9%

Under pressure: 51-of-95 for 536 yards, 4 TDs, 6 INTs

Against the blitz: 49-of-73 for 444 yards, TD, 2 INTs (5 sacks)

Behind the line: 66-of-70 for 376 yards

0-9 yards downfield: 116-of-157 for 1,014 yards, 3 TDs, 4 INTs

10-19 yards downfield: 36-of-70 for 597 yards, 4 TDs, 8 INTs

20+ yards downfield: 6-of-31 for 133 yards, 3 TDs

Notes: It’s easy to forget Jones started the season completing a career-high 35 passes.

He also threw for more than 300 yards against the Eagles, and may have completed the first game-winning, fourth-quarter drive of his career – to that point – had rookie receiver Kayshon Boutte stayed in bounds. But Boutte didn’t, and close calls became the story of Jones’ season around a memorable home upset of the Bills.

Arguably the saddest part of Jones’ year – excluding a three-turnover half against the Giants that ended his year and a crippling pick against the Colts – is all of his problems carried over from 2022.

He was hesitant to pull the trigger on open downfield receivers – even on plays that he had checked to – and routinely melted under pressure and against the blitz. He committed mind-numbing mistakes and essentially couldn’t operate outside of the of the middle of the field. Count me as a believer that Jones might one-day operate as a consistent, low-level starter in the NFL, but this season he broke. He broke badly, and that, in the end, is all that matters.

Peppers was the most consistently disruptive force on Belichick’s defense, leading the team in interceptions, pass breakups and crunching hits. A career year for the former first-round pick.

Barmore bloomed in the second half of the season, terrorizing the interior of opposing offensive lines in most games. Once Matt Judon was lost for the season, he became the top pass rusher that opponents schemed against on game day.

Like Peppers, Tavai enjoyed a breakout season built mostly on turnovers and improved play in coverage. He also helped patch an injured front seven, often flipping between inside and outside linebacker like many Patriot greats of the past.

This lost season all started with a broken quarterback. The Patriots are not blameless in his fall, of course, but Jones was the one still holding the grenade time after time after pulling the pin.

Between the rookie guards and turnstile tackles, this was a bad year to be a Patriots offensive lineman. Losing position coach Adrian Klemm midway through hurt, but it never should have been this bad.

Smith-Schuster was a complete non-factor in his first season with the Patriots, save for the game-clinching interception he batted to the Commanders in early November. He finished with 260 yards and one touchdown

Statistics for pressure, passing depth, broken tackles and missed tackles courtesy of Pro Football Focus.

*Explosive plays are defined as runs of 12-plus yards and passes of 20-plus yards. Explosive play rate is one of the most strongly correlated metrics with wins and losses.

**Success rate is an efficiency metric measuring how often an offense stays on schedule. A play is successful when it gains at least 40% of yards-to-go on first down, 60% of yards-to-go on second down and 100% of yards-to-go on third or fourth down.

***11 personnel = one running back, one tight end; 12 personnel = one running back, two tight ends; 13 personnel = one running back, three tight ends; 21 = two halfbacks, one tight end; 22 = two halfbacks, two tight ends; 01 = no running backs, one tight end.