The New England Patriots are officially at the bottom of the AFC following their 31-17 loss to the Miami Dolphins on Sunday.

The Patriots dropped to 2-6 with their falling in Week 8, making them the only team in the conference to have fewer than three wins as they stare down the barrel of their worst season in decades, further questioning the futures of Bill Belichick and Mac Jones in Foxborough.

Here are five things to blame for the Patriots' most recent loss.

J.C. Jackson

The veteran corner was just no match for Tyreek Hill on Sunday. Jackson appeared to be the primary cover corner on Hill, who had eight receptions for 112 yards and a touchdown. That score also came with Jackson covering him, watching the speedy wideout blow right by him for a 42-yard touchdown that negated the early lead the Patriots took in just a matter of minutes.

To add some comedy to Jackson's performance on Sunday, CBS commentator Adam Archuleta remarked during the third quarter that Jackson looked like a better player since his return to New England after his disastrous tenure in Los Angeles. On the very next play, Tua Tagovailoa dropped a pass right by Jackson and into Jaylen Waddle's arms as the receiver fought through the corner to make a big third-down reception.

In addition to Hill's monstrous day, Waddle also had a big game, recording seven receptions for 121 yards and a touchdown.

The defensive coaching staff

The Patriots opted to play a lot of soft zone in the second half of Sunday's game. It didn't work.

Tagovailoa and the Dolphins' offense slowly and methodically chipped away at the Patriots' defense following their fumble to start the half, moving the ball down the field on chunk plays (such as that aforementioned Waddle reception) to score a touchdown and go back up by two scores. They killed some clock on their next drive, moving the ball 37 yards down the field before punting. After the Patriots made it a one-score game again, the Dolphins took advantage of the Patriots' soft zone defense, taking 10 plays to go 75 yards for a touchdown.

Miami was able to dictate control of the clock in the second half as New England didn't play as aggressively as it needed to considering the talent disadvantage. Hill and Waddle got just about whatever yards they wanted in the middle of the field as well, giving the Dolphins more yards than needed on certain plays as they left the Patriots in the dust.

The interior offensive line

The Patriots' protection upfront on Sunday wasn't as bad as it was in the early part of the season, but it wasn't great, either.

It took until the fourth quarter for the Patriots to really establish anything on the ground because of their inability to get strong protection on runs up the middle. Rhamondre Stevenson was constantly met in the backfield on many of his carries through the first three quarters while Ezekiel Elliott mostly needed to run on the outside to even try to get yards.

Meanwhile, Christian Wilkins and Zach Sieler were able to get into the backfield and affect Mac Jones throughout the afternoon. Wilkins recorded a sack and a quarterback hit while Sieler recorded multiple quarterback hits, leaving the Patriots quarterback helpless at times on Sunday.

The wide receiver corps

It wasn't a pretty day for the Patriots' receivers either, considering the opponent.

Kendrick Bourne was the Patriots' leading receiver and he only had three receptions for 36 yards – and that came in just a little over three quarters of play as he suffered an injury at the start of the fourth quarter. There were many wide shots of plays throughout Sunday's game that showed a lack of true separation from any Patriots receivers down the field on successful passing plays, a big concern considering the Dolphins' secondary has been well-regard as one of the league's worst. They were also without safety Jevon Holland on Sunday, making their struggles even worse.

Mac Jones

The Patriots quarterback has found himself in this column often as of late. Rightfully so, too, as he just wasn't good at the start of October.

Sunday was a bit of a better performance in a losing effort for Jones, who completed 19 of 29 passes for 161 yards and two touchdowns. But he also threw an interception that was horrific, considering the time of it. Jones lobbed a pass to Bourne along the sideline late in the first half as they were trying to tie the game up. But Jones' throw either didn't have enough zip on it or his toss to try to throw it away didn't go far enough as Jalen Ramsey picked the ball off at the 9-yard line, ending the Patriots' opportunity to tie the game 14-14.

The harsh reality for this Patriots squad is that the offense has to play nearly perfectly, or at least clean, every week to have a chance to win. That probably isn't fair to Jones as not everything is under his control. But when you know that reality, you also must know that you can't throw the ball like that in such a pivotal moment. The margins are razor-thin with this team, and just one miscue can tip the balance against the Patriots.