Following a 35-point loss in Dallas last week, the Patriots’ worst of the Bill Belichick era, New England was handed another mortifying defeat in a 34-0 pummeling at home against the Saints.<\/p>\n
The offense committed three turnovers, including a pick-six on just the second offensive possession, and averaged just 3.4 yards per play in a scoreless outing. Mac Jones wasn’t as bad as he was against the Cowboys, but he started the game with some rough passes and essentially gave New Orleans the ball after throwing behind Rhamondre Stevenson on a toss. That said, the offensive line did him no favors and constantly undermined positive plays. After starting the game with Cole Strange inactive and losing Mike Onwenu early on, New England’s front allowed two sacks, four hits, and three tackles for loss. Even veterans David Andrews and Trent Brown had some truly ugly losses. A struggling receiver group also took hits after losing Demario Douglas and JuJu Smith-Schuster to head injuries, and Kendrick Bourne made some big catches but was flagged for two false starts.<\/p>\n
The defense entered this contest in a tough spot with Christian Gonzalez done for the season and Matt Judon out for at least the foreseeable future. J.C. Jackson and Jonathan Jones were also limited as they worked their way back from injuries, and the offense handed its defense bad field positions multiple times. Still, this game was littered with fundamental errors that kept New Orleans on the field, and self-inflicted errors did more to stop the Saints’ offense than the defense’s own efforts.<\/p>\n
It was also a rough outing for special teams with a missed Chad Ryland field goal, some poor snaps from Joe Cardona, and Matthew Slater being called for a penalty after being out of bounds for too long on a punt.<\/p>\n
The Patriots have entered uncharted territory, playing some of their worst football in games that they simply cannot afford to lose. Now, facing a 1-4 record, it’s likely that tough decisions and significant change are on the horizon. Here are my key takeaways from the Patriots’ shutout loss.<\/p>\n
Same Old Story for a Woeful Patriots Offense<\/strong><\/p>\n Once again, the Patriots’ offense seemed incapable of starting fast, protecting the football, or stringing together positive plays. After going three-and-out on their opening drive, the Patriots offense allowed a pick-six after Mac Jones was clobbered on a checkdown attempt.<\/p>\n Looks like Mac Jones wanted to hit Rhamondre Stevenson with middle help taking away Hunter Henry's route, but Trent Brown lost on a twist, and the hit led to a wobbly throw pic.twitter.com\/ND51ep8mbo<\/a><\/p>\n — Taylor Kyles (@tkyles39) October 8, 2023<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n