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The New England Patriots were losers once again on Sunday. They fell to the Miami Dolphins, 15-10, to lose their fourth straight game and drop to 1-4 on the season.
As the first week of October is just concluding, it already feels like the season is lost for the Patriots. Let's take a look at who is the most to blame for their shortcoming in Week 5.
Jacoby Brissett
Five weeks into the season, the Patriots have five uninspiring performances at quarterback.
Brissett had another game where he was either seemingly allergic to throwing the ball down the field, or the play calling didn't seem to trust him to throw the ball down the field because he hasn't shown much of a reason to do that. He completed 18-of-34 passes for just 160 yards, averaging just 4.7 yards per attempt.
Those numbers look even worse with context, though. Forty-six of those passing yards came on the game's final drive when the Dolphins were playing prevent defense. When you account for Brissett's two sacks, he only had 3.1 yards per dropback prior to that drive.
I am not an NFL quarterback, but with 12 seconds remaining with no timeouts, there are only two places you can throw the ball. One is to Demario Douglas, who is running toward the sideline with separation from his defender, and the other is to Ja'Lynn Polk who is at least… pic.twitter.com/DIUuuPPtUY
— Doug Kyed (@DougKyed) October 7, 2024
Brissett did seem willing to take some more shots down the field later in the game. DeMario Douglas finished the game with six receptions for 59 yards and Ja'Lynn Polk nearly came down with a game-winning touchdown on a dart in the back of the end zone.
So, the fact that Brissett only threw those sorts of passes when the Patriots absolutely needed seems to suggest that he isn't willing to take those shots. He also was standing in the pocket far too long on other occasions, too. The countdown to start Drake Maye inches closer and closer.
Nick Leverett
It was a bit of a tough spot for Nick Leverett. He was battling an injury during the week as he prepared to replace David Andrews at center.
That shouldn't entirely excuse his performance on Sunday, though. He gave up nine pressures against the Dolphins, per Pro Football Focus. He also had a costly false start penalty on a third-and-one in the second quarter followed by a costly holding penalty on a first-and-10 from the Dolphins' 11-yard line later in the frame. Just two drive-killing penalties for a team that can't afford them.
Keion White
Speaking of killer penalties, Keion White had two on one drive. He committed an unnecessary horse collar tackle while chasing down Dolphins running back Raheem Mostert on a first-down play, giving Miami 15 free yards. Three plays later, it appeared the Patriots had gotten the Dolphins' offense off the field for a punt. However, White hit Dolphins quarterback Tyler Huntley high up following his incomplete pass, drawing a roughing the passer penalty that gave Miami 15 yards and a fresh set of downs.
Keion White's roughing the passer penalty was blatant. pic.twitter.com/bZA8lQRKhX
— Greg A. Bedard (@GregABedard) October 7, 2024
Miami wound up kicking a field goal on that drive, cutting New England's lead to 10-6 in the third quarter. Even though it didn't give the Dolphins the lead, the kick obviously played a major role in the final outcome.
Jahlani Tavai, Christian Elliss and the LB corps
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The absence of linebackers Ja'Whaun Bentley (along with safeties Jabrill Peppers and Kyle Dugger, for that matter) was felt in Sunday's game. Miami seemed to target the intermediate areas of the field in the passing game, with tight end Jonnu Smith having an active day (five receptions, 62 yards).
Jahlani Tavai helped Smith out on one play in the first half, showing a lack of awareness on a first-down reception for the tight end. It was a microcosm for his day, as he didn't seem to have his head on a swivel in key moments.
Jahlani Tavai awareness: 📉 pic.twitter.com/1JJmuP3YHA
— Michael Hurley (@michaelFhurley) October 6, 2024
Christian Elliss made a similar error. As the Dolphins faced a third-and-13 from their 48-yard line in the fourth quarter, the Patriots linebacker had his back turned to Huntey while covering Mostert. Even though the pass was well short of the first-down marker, Ellis never turned his head around and interfered with Mostert, giving the Dolphins an automatic first down.
That play occurred on the Dolphins' game-winning drive in the fourth quarter. After Elliss' penalty, the Dolphins ran the ball for 52 yards on seven plays, carving the Patriots' defense up before Alec Ingold rushed for the game-winning three-yard score.
Jerod Mayo, Alex Van Pelt
The Patriots aren't the most talented team in the NFL. In fact, they're probably the least-talented team in the league.
New England's coaching situation might match it. The Patriots were completely undisciplined on Sunday, getting called for 14 penalties (12 were accepted) as handful of them came at crucial moments.
Beyond the penalties, though, there were several head-scratching coaching decisions. For instance, the Patriots opted to throw the ball three after getting pinned inside their 10-yard line with under 30 seconds left in the first half. As two of the passes fell incomplete, they punted the ball back to the Dolphins and gave them ample time to possibly get a field goal.
The Patriots had confusing play calling in the final two minutes of the game. Once they got to the Dolphins' 12-yard line for a new set of downs with over a minute left and three timeouts, they opted not to run the ball once despite rushing for 7.9 yards per carry on Sunday.
There are many other things that you can point blame at Jerod Mayo and Alex Van Pelt for as well, which goes to show that the head coach and offensive coordinator are just not doing their jobs well.
