The New England Patriots fell short of winning back-to-back Super Bowls with a loss in the AFC Championship game against the Denver Broncos. Overall, the Patriots had a great year, but it ended terribly considering they lost five of their last eight games.

Bill Belichick has a big offseason ahead of him, but first, let's dissect this previous season.

The Good

Malcolm Butler

He made arguably the single greatest play in Super Bowl history, and it doesn't appear as if that was a fluke. Undrafted cornerback Malcolm Butler had himself a solid season taking on the best wide receivers week after week. It all started in Week 1 against the Pittsburgh Steelers when Butler guarded Antonio Brown one-one-one. Butler played in every game this season, he's just 25 years old, and he's never afraid to cover elite wide outs individually. He may not go on to be Deion Sanders, but the Patriots have a solid young cornerback in Butler.

Tom Brady

Tom Brady is going to turn 39 years old this offseason, but despite the old age, Brady still had another terrific season. The Patriots quarterback led the entire NFL with 36 touchdown passes, only threw seven interceptions, and he played in every game for the seventh consecutive season. Brady's time is limited at getting a fifth Super Bowl, but he's in great shape, and he has a great connection with his head coach for another run next season.

Quarterback Pressure

Last year the Patriots defense relied more on their secondary with Darrelle Revis and Brandon Browner. Only one problem: both of those guys left in the offseason, and it looked like the Patriots defense was going to be absolutely torched this year without them. Not so fast, says Belichick. Instead of relying on a great secondary, the Patriots stopped opposing teams with their quarterback pressure. The Patriots ranked second in the league in sacks with 49. It's hard for quarterbacks to complete down field passes when they are under pressure from 300-pund defensive lineman.

The Bad

Offensive Line

Brady and the running game never really had a chance in January. In all fairness, injuries did play a very large factor here. The Broncos completely embarrassed the Patriots front five all game long. Von Miller and DeMarcus Ware had their way with ease. It came to the point on multiple occasions where Scott Chandler and Rob Gronkowski were playing more left tackle than tight end. This has to get addresses during the offseason.

Brandon LaFell

Brandon LaFell is the best outside, downfield wide out for the Patriots, but he completely disappeared down the stretch for this team. LaFell did not record a single touchdown grab this entire season for the first time in his career, and only one game did he even have over 100 receiving yards. LaFell never even caught a pass in the AFC Championship game. Next season is a contract year for LaFell, and it could be a big hit or miss season for him.

The Ugly

Injuries

Nothing in sports is worse than injuries. The Patriots were plagued with key injuries all season, and it took its toll. Injuries to the offensive line, Julian Edelman, linebackers and other player eventually led to the demise. Dion Lewis showed promise early on, but a torn ACL ended his season. LeGarrette Blount was also placed on injured reserve because of a hip injury. With Blount and Lewis out, the Patriots became completely one dimensional on offense.

Crumbling Finish

Over the last two months of the season, the Patriots just weren't that great of a squad. The Patriots finished the season 3-5 over the last eight games and 0-2 against the Broncos in that span. Their loss against the Philadelphia Eagles was probably the most disappointing regular season defeat, as it was their only home loss. With such a huge crash to the regular season, the Broncos took over the No. 1 seed in the AFC, and obviously that gave them home-field advantage in the playoffs. Their Week 17 defeat to the Miami Dolphins marked the third straight year the Patriots lost in the Sunshine State.

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