It wasn’t worth the wait, was it.

Inexcusable?

Well, there were plenty of excuses to throw out there if you were a New England Patriots player or coach following Sunday’s flat 18-12 loss to the Denver Broncos at still fan-less Gillette Stadium.

It was awful. Even when the Broncos and quarterback Drew Lock (he looked so good for three quarters) tried to hand them the game, the Patriots couldn’t take advantage of it.

And this was a Broncos team that didn’t have two of its better offensive weapons in tight end Noah Fant and running back Melvin Gordon. Not to mention the fact they didn’t score a touchdown – the Patriots were 39-0 when not allowing a TD – and Lock and his offensive coordinator Pat Shurmur tried to get cute late and it almost backfired.

All this and still the Patriots couldn’t beat a bad team in their own, albeit empty, building.

Sure, the excuses are through the roof and somewhat valid. While the Broncos seemingly hadn’t missed a beat while grousing in Denver, Patriots quarterback Newton had practiced just once in two weeks since testing positive for COVID-19.

The team’s offensive line was basically unrecognizable. Joe Thuney at center. Isaiah Wynn moving to guard. No David Andrews (IR). No Shaq Mason (COVID list). Lost Jermaine Eluemunor during the second quarter with an ankle injury. Hello Hjalte Froholdt and a few others. Yikes.

Rust and dust.

“Oh without a doubt, but yeah, we’re still professionals and we’re expected to do our job and play at a high level,” said Newton, who said he didn’t want to look back at his pandemic problem, only ahead. “And we didn’t do that today.”

Surprisingly, Patriots coach Bill Belichick sounded like someone just fed up with the events of the last two weeks, Sunday being the tipping point. Belichick had tried everything during that time to keep his players safe while the NFL continued to play Ring Around The ‘Rona. He even held team meetings in the bleachers on the practice field outside, trying anything to get enough preparation in to win a football game.

And then watching his team keep losing players.

“Well, it was a big challenge,” he said when asked about the offensive line in particular. “Playing without guys, getting guys hurt, moving around, had some guys that hadn’t played together much, hadn’t practiced together much.

“So we need to get on the field, we need to practice, we need to develop some continuity as a team, but especially there. … We need more time together, we need to practice together, we need to execute and do everything better. No question about that.”

Newton bemoaned his two deflected interceptions, but he also knew he missed an open N’Keal Harry on fourth down in the final minute. That final series the only good passes were by that former college quarterback named Julian Edelman.

That series is where the offensive line problem really showed as Newton was under duress. “That was contingent upon me,” Newton said. “I knew I was going to get hit. So I just tried to find a spot to give him so he could make a play on it.”

Harry hasn’t made too many plays during his time here but that’s another column for another day.

The Patriots are frustrated. “I’ve just got o play better football,” Newton said, “and that’s what I’m going to try to do.”

No excuses. Patriots players all owned up to a tough day at the office.

“Some stuff you can’t control,” cornerback Stephon Gilmore said, “and it’s out of your hands sometimes. At the end of the day we ae professional football players and we have to be able to go there and compete and not make excuses and lay it out all on the line for your teammates.”

Meanwhile, it got worse for Patriot fans later in the day, if they dared to watch a guy named Brady light up the Packers defense and a guy named Gronkowski spike the ball in the end zone after a TD catch.

Meanwhile the Patriots starting tight end, Ryan Izzo, coughs up the football after making a reception on a familiar seam route.

You could hear the collective sigh from Foxborough to Nashua.

“Hopefully we’ll be able to practice this week,” Belichick said. “We certainly need it.”

It’s still early, but they may need even more than that.

Tom King may be reached at @Telegraph_TomK on twitter, or tking@nashuatelegraph.com

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