The preseason doesn't mean much, especially to the New England Patriots.
Still, it's not like the panic over their offense is entirely misplaced. In the preseason finale, after a few weeks of alarmist stories about how bad the offense looked in training camp, the Patriots' starting offense struggled against the Las Vegas Raiders. That's bad. What's worse is it came against the Raiders' backup defense.
The Patriots' starting offense played four series. Two of those possessions ended with punts after three-and-outs. There was also a horrid interception by quarterback Mac Jones, and a field goal. The offensive line, which was a focus of all those worrisome stories out of camp, didn't look good.