Does Josh McDaniels have a lot more up his sleeve in the Patriots playbook?

Josh McDaniels has excelled in his return to the Patriots, but as they hit the stretch run, he might still have a few tricks left.

The Pats offensive coordinator was asked if more of the playbook could be used with only a few weeks left in the season. The team is coming out of its bye week at seventh in the NFL in points per game. And while McDaniels' play-calling has played a big role in their improvement, it's fair to wonder if there's even more that could be done to utilize Drake Maye and his weapons.

"I guess my answer would probably be we've kind of used what we feel like we have to use to win each week," McDaniels said. "I don't think you will ever get to everything."

Prior to Josh McDaniels' return to New England, the Patriots offense was statistically near the bottom of the league. Following McDaniels' departure at the end of 2021 season, the Pats offense ranked 26th, 30th, then 31st in yards in three seasons without him. The Patriots also ranked 17th, 31st, then 30th in points scored. The Patriots are currently top-10 in both points and yards.

"There's certainly more things we can do," McDaniels said. "I think what matters is that we hopefully we pick the right ones. That's probably going to be the most important thing."

Under McDaniels, the Patriots have an MVP candidate in Maye. In Stefon Diggs, the Pats could have their first 1,000-yard receiver since Julian Edelman did it in 2019. McDaniels did acknowledge the work put in to reach this point.

"There's always things you grow to, I think, as you build through the season and you evolve offensively," McDaniels said. "I'd say there's quite a few things that we've done over and over again that are probably the core of what we do, just like everybody. And then there's a lot of sprinkles that you can put on top of the ice cream every once in a while...if you feel like it fits. So, yeah, hopefully we pick the right things to unveil."