Just good enough to lose.

That’s what the New England Patriots have seemingly become, as they clearly don’t have the talent or the cohesion to win a lot of games in the National Football League.

There was a little more life in the postgame press conferences from the players and head coach Bill Belichick’s standpoint. But the result Sunday was the same, another loss, and with the Buffalo Bills at Gillette next Sunday and then a trip to Miami the following week, New England will most likely be 1-7 at the end of October. Ugh.

They should have beaten the Las Vegas Raiders yesterday rather than bow 21-17. “This game’s a lot different than the last two games, so I don’t think you can compare those,” Belichick said in response to one of those all-encompassing questions that those of us familiar with the process know won’t get a complete answer.

But the message was there. The Patriots did some things better, penalties and another dumb Mac Jones interception killing them. Yet not good enough. Losing teams often come close and fall just short, and the play that typifies that is the very catchable Jones pass going off receiver DeVante Parker’s hands on New England’s final drive. A receiver Belichick felt was worthy of a contract extension, while one he didn’t think was good enough to try to keep (Jakobi Meyers) caught a TD pass against him.

Here’s the thing: Losing players make up losing teams.

The Patriots are loaded with them right now.

There was no way Jones was going to be able to drive them down the field at the end. Either he’d screw up or somebody else would.

“I think as a team we all responded pretty well, competed well, we just didn’t make enough plays to win. That’s really across the board – offense, defense. … we could have been better in every area.”

Did Mac Jones do enough to keep his job? Probably by default. The Patriots really don’t have anybody else. If they did, then they would have made a change at halftime, but to Malik Cunningham? They made Bailey Zappe the emergency third QB and Cunningham the backup, and Will Grier was simply inactive. All that says a lot.

“I think we have a really good group of guys,” Jones said. “If we choose to respond the right way, it’ll be really good. If we don’t, then it’ll go the other way.”

It’s already gone that way, Mac.

“We’re doing a good job of making plays, but we need to make the plays when we need them,” said receiver Kendrick Bourne, who added, “I think we’re all right, we’re just being tested, battle tested.

“It’s up to us to look at ourselves in the mirror and see who we are individually, and what we’re going to bring every day. Are we going to quit, and come to work to just work, or are we going to come to work and put in an effort and really change this thing around. If we get guys coming in like that, I think it’ll change.”

But here’s what losing teams do – they go on nine-plus minute scoring drives when trailing that whittle the clock down in the fourth quarter. No sense of urgency, no hurry-up offense, no no huddle approach, etc. What the heck?

“I want to win,” Bourne said. “I don’t want to go out there and have 20 play drives and not win.”

But just think about this, fans. The Patriots just lost to a team quarterbacked in the second half by Brian Hoyer.

That may be their lowest moment yet.

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

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