Through nine weeks in the season, the New England Patriots find themselves at 5-4 and struggling to perform against good NFL teams.

The NFL trade deadline was an opportunity for New England to put together a more competitive roster. Since that deadline has passed — meaning trades can no longer happen in the NFL until the next season begins — the Patriots will be stuck with their current roster and any players they can acquire through waivers or free agency.

New England found itself in a similar situation last year, making just two moves before the trade deadline, which was trading EDGE Keion White to San Francisco and S Kyle Dugger to Pittsburgh. Last year's roster was much healthier and in the middle of a historic win-streak, so it made sense for the Patriots not to change around the roster.

This year's Patriots team is quite the opposite. They're the most injured roster in football and have dropped two of their last three games. With challenging opponents ahead, Head coach Mike Vrabel's limited roster will have no reinforcements entering through trades.

AFC Playoff Teams Who Made Moves:

Ultimately, New England can look at this year's trade deadline as a loss, despite not giving up anything. While the team held out from acquiring big-name trade targets, multiple AFC playoff contending teams were very active ahead of the deadline.

The move that may have the most impact on the Patriots is the Buffalo Bills acquiring S Amani Hooker from Tennessee. Potentially the biggest threat to New England's playoff status, New England's AFC East foe solved a lot of defensive issues with Hooker, who leads the league in interceptions with five.

Another AFC threat that strengthend their defense is the Jacksonville Jaguars. The Patriots, who already lost to the Jaguars in humiliating fashion, will not want to travel to Duval County in January.

Jacksonville traded for DT Jordan Davis from Philadelphia, S Jessie Bates III from Atlanta, and DT Davon Godchaux from New Orleans. Jacksonville is the biggest example of a team that saw an opportunity to compete this postseason, and acted on it — unlike New England.

Another threat that got better was the Kansas City Chiefs, who acquired a player many speculated the Patriots to have interest in. Kansas City brought wide receiver Josh Downs from the Indianapolis Colts to their roster. The Chiefs adding another deep threat for Patrick Mahomes is concerning for a Patriots defense that just let up 350+ yards passing and has to travel to Kansas City in late-December.

The Raiders, while not acquiring any new players, won at the deadline as they moved on from quarterback Kirk Cousins. The Patriots easily beat the Raiders earlier this season, but sending Cousins to Minnesota means that first overall pick Fernando Mendoza's regime has begun in Las Vegas. If Mendoza can be a productive rookie quarterback, then the Raiders pose a threat to the Patriots' potential wildcard spot, which they're currently clinging to.

Sticking in the AFC West, the Broncos upgraded their already dominant defense. They acquired linebacker Daiyan Henley from the Los Angeles Chargers. The Broncos are another AFC team the Patriots will have to face late in the season, and are competing for a playoff spot.

One thing learned from Tuesday's trade deadline is that the Patriots have faith in their current roster, and faith in their players to rehab their injuries. For the second year in a row, Vrabel and Eliot Wolf invest in their current roster — we'll see if it pays off for them like it did last year.