Not talking about this game specifically but the main reason why we have looked off all year is the lack of impact youth players on the team. Many people have talked about this already but the drafting as of late hasn't worked out due to various reasons (injuries to Wynn, Bentley, busts, DeflateGate, etc.), and outside of Gilmore, Mason, Flowers, and a few niche impact players like White, Harmon, Andrews, every single top player on the squad is aging. To win a SB you need the players either on their prime (2015 Denver) or have a bunch of talented young players in their rookie contracts (2013 Seattle, 2017 Philadelphia), DUH!
We have Brady, Gronk, Edelman, DMac, Hightower, Ghost and a bunch of old dudes trying to get back to the Super Bowl after how many consecutive seasons of deep Playoff runs? Wear and tear is a real thing in all sports and we need some impact players to complement these old dudes, NOT depend on these old dudes. This upcoming draft is especially important for Belichick/Caserio to hit on the picks, or we might suffer another season similar to this one.