FOXBORO – The Patriots won the turnover battle, capitalizing on three special teams errors by Miami, an undermanned Dolphins team that started Tyler Huntley (Tyler Huntley!) at quarterback.

And yet New England still managed to suffer an incredibly ugly 15-10 loss at Gillette Stadium on Sunday – the fourth straight loss for a squad that has looked like one of the NFL's worst for nearly a month.

How? The lack of blue-chip talent on the roster didn't help, as the Patriots added co-captains David Andrews, Kyle Dugger and Jabrill Peppers to their long list of injured standouts before this game. The coaching staff's poor game management also caused problems for them, especially at the end of both halves.

But the biggest problem for Jerod Mayo's club on Sunday was one that all coaches loathe: penalties.

The Pats were rushed 12 times for a season-high 105 yards in the loss; a 13th penalty was rejected. They exceeded the total number of penalties accepted from the previous three weeks (11) and finished the game with more penalties than points.

Until a final spurt that featured some ultimately meaningless block completions, New England had lost more yards on penalties than it had gained on passing plays.

After the game, quarterback Jacoby Brissett stated the obvious: The Patriots, in their current form, are not talented enough to overcome so many self-inflicted mistakes.

“We do plays. We’re just shooting ourselves in the foot,” Brissett lamented. “We take one step forward and then 20 steps back. It's like we can't do that. Until we get to that point, we will continue to be frustrated about the little things. You can't leave the game to the referees. That's not what football is about. You have to go out there, play with good fundamentals and techniques and do the little things right.

“This league is already so difficult. The margin for error is so small, and if we can't do it because of a lack of focus and a lack of things we all have control over, we're not good enough for it.”

Brissett's offense was responsible for eight penalties, including two pre-snap penalties against veteran tight end and newly promoted co-captain Hunter Henry. One of them turned a four-and-10 into a four-and-15 in the Dolphins' red zone with a minute left.

Center Nick Leverett was also whistled for a false start when he moved the ball forward before snapping it, and five different Patriots players were whistled for offensive holding: Leverett, left tackle Vederian Lowe, right tackle Demontrey Jacobs, running back Rhamondre Stevenson and wide receiver Ja'Lynn Polk.

The Patriots defense only committed three penalties, but all were fatal. Defensive end Keion White had two personal fouls in four plays in the third quarter, including a third-down roughing of the passer call that extended a Dolphins drive. Later, a defensive pass interference penalty on Christian Elliss — who typically only plays on special teams when the Patriots' defense is fully healthy — moved the chains for Miami on third-and-13.

The Dolphins ended up scoring ten points from those two possessions and won by five points.

“The pre-snap stuff definitely bothers me,” Mayo said. “Look, we have guys, they're out there, they're trying their best, but at the same time, not to sound like a broken record, it's about execution, especially in critical situations.”

New England’s special teams weren’t immune. Miami was gifted with a fresh set of downs when the Patriots had 12 men on the field for a punt in the first quarter, although a subsequent Christian Gonzalez interception limited the damage. The Patriots punt team was also called for delay of game.

The last time the Patriots had 12 or more accepted penalties in a game was Week 6 of the 2022 season. They have only reached that mark four times in the last decade.

The lack of discipline prevented them from taking advantage of a similarly sloppy performance from the Dolphins, who incurred a total of nine penalties (six accepted, three declined), including three on consecutive plays early in the second quarter.

“It was frustrating,” Brissett said. “Honestly, nothing was good. Punishments bring us back. To be honest, we just have to play better. There comes a point where you just have to play better. Punishments in the wrong situations, in bad situations.

“We are not good enough to do that and go back and try to get points. We must continue to move forward. We have to change this, fix this.”

Originally published: October 6, 2024 at 6:38 p.m