The New England Patriots suffered a tough 20-17 loss to the Washington Commanders at home to drop to 2-7 on the season, and quarterback Mac Jones took full responsibility for the loss.

“No excuses. Just have to work,” Mac Jones said, via Mark Daniels of MassLive.

One of the reasons that Jones is taking responsibility for the Patriots' loss to the Commanders is the missed throw on third down to a wide open Tyquan Thornton on the first drive of the game. After the missed throw to Tyquan Thornton, the Patriots turned it over on downs after another incomplete pass that was intended for Thornton. Jones spoke about the throw, saying he put too much air on the ball.

“I just missed him,” Jones said, via Daniels.

The Patriots could have kept some slim hopes for a playoff run alive with a win on Sunday against the Commanders. Instead, they drop to 2-7. Next week, the Patriots will be going to Frankfurt, Germany to take on the Indianapolis Colts.

The next few weeks present some winnable games for the Patriots. After playing the Colts, they will go on the bye week before playing the New York Giants, who are having quarterback trouble this season with injuries to Daniel Jones and Tyrod Taylor.

It is an unfamiliar sight to see the Patriots seemingly out of the playoff race this soon. There are a lot of questions to be answered about the long-term view for the franchise. It will be worth tracking how they perform the rest of the season.