Patriots ups and downs: Inexcusable penalties condemn Pats vs. Dolphins

FOXBORO – Patriots quarterback Jacoby Brissett concluded Sunday's 15-10 loss to the Dolphins preferably.

“Honestly, nothing was good,” Brissett said after the team fell to 1-4 this season.

Brissett is pretty close. There were some good things from the Patriots on Sunday, otherwise we wouldn't have this nice “Ups and Downs” column. But there was so much more bad than good from the Patriots, which is becoming a weekly theme for Jerod Mayo's team.

“We have to be able to play game by game and we haven't been able to do that. I would also say that as the game went on, our fundamentals were shaken,” Mayo said.

The best thing about Sunday's game is that it was over. Really, anyone who lasted through the entire “competition” deserves a reward. It was a real test for the football fan base because The wasn't actually football. If you want bad Football, then it was the game for you, full of blocked punts, bad snaps, miscues on both sides, terrible falls, dropped passes and a truckload of penalties.

After three defeats in a row, both teams desperately needed a win on Sunday. It would have been a very winning game for the Patriots if they had played reasonably cleanly. Instead, both the Patriots and Dolphins embarrassed the NFL shield.

The Dolphins were a little less embarrassing than the Patriots and escaped with a win. Or rather: The Dolphins lost less on Sunday.

Aside from some solid defensive plays from Christian Gonzalez, the Patriots did next to nothing right on Sunday. The number of total penalties was unacceptable and the number of stupid penalties was downright alarming.

Here are the highs and lows of New England's worst loss so far of the 2024 season.

DOWN: All the Patriots' stupid, costly penalties

The Patriots were assessed 12 penalties that cost them 105 yards, and those were just the accepted penalties against New England. It felt like every other game there was a flag at some point, which would have made things weird if it wasn't so difficult to watch.

Center Nick Leverett was flagged twice, including once for a false start when he illegally reset the ball. This is not something the referees will just allow.

The Patriots got a third-down stop on Miami's second possession of the game to force a punt – but then had 12 men on the field for Jake Bailey's kick. That gave the Dolphins an automatic first down that could have been costly, but Gonzalez came through with a big interception.

At halftime, the Patriots had twice as many penalties (six) as first downs (three). And it kept getting worse.

Outside halftime, Keion White suffered two 15-yard penalties on Miami's first possession; one for a rash horse-collar tackle and another for rough attack on the passer when the Pats had made a crucial third-down stop. The Dolphins scored a field goal to make it 10-6 after White continued the drive for them.

The worst violation of the day was a DPI by Christian Elliss that negated a third-and-13 stop by the New England defense midway through the fourth quarter. Elliss touched Raheem Mostert a little too hard on a Tyler Huntley incompletion and was hit by a game-winning flag.

The Dolphins overran the Patriots' defense after that penalty, and Alec Ingold scored a three-yard touchdown with 4:24 left that made the difference in the game.

The Patriots are a team with zero margin for error, and it's almost unbelievable that they almost won a game despite a dozen penalties. With a little more discipline, the Patriots could be in second place in the AFC East. Instead, they are in the basement preparing for Week 6.

UP: Christian Gonzalez is really good

Christian Gonzalez made the save the day after that 12-man penalty when he undercut a pass to Odell Beckham over the middle and intercepted it at the Miami 43. It was Gonzalez's second career interception, both times against the Dolphins.

Gonzalez nearly had a second interception in the second half when he covered Tyreek Hill in the end zone. He had Huntley's errant pass in hand and had space to run, but Hill was able to eliminate the potential pick. But Gonzalez continued to shine for the New England defense in his second NFL season.

UP: The blocked punt was good…

Brendan Schooler put the offense in fantastic position to score when he blocked Jake Bailey's punt in the second quarter. He made a powerful push from the line and just got his left hand in to block the punt, and the Patriots took over at the Miami 23.

It seemed like the Pats were guaranteed points at least three points behind big special teams plays. However, there is no guarantee of points with this Patriots offense.

Down: … the Patriots didn't do anything with the blocked punt

The drive from New England to this block was a complete disaster. The Patriots lost 20 yards on two penalties, and then Joey Slye missed his 33-yard attempt on the right edge. It was a huge missed opportunity for New England.

Below: Alex Van Pelt's game plan

The whole world knows that the Patriots have to run the ball to win. And in the end, the Patriots are actually pretty good at running the ball.

Still, Alex Van Pelt continues to insist that the Patriots squad will throw down when that simply isn't an option for the team right now. Jacoby Brissett doesn't have the arm for it, and when he does let it go, it's usually thrown a long way.

The Patriots ran for 151 yards on 19 rush attempts, an average of 7.4 yards. Rhamondre Stevenson had a great comeback game after starting on the bench. Antonio Gibson also made plays and averaged 8.7 yards on his six carries.

But the two defenders managed only 18 runs (Brissett also had a 10-yard scramble) while Brissett threw the ball 34 times.

There just doesn't seem to be any creativity in Van Pelt's offense or anything that involves the team's talented defenders in the passing game. When Brissett does actually throw to his back, it usually happens behind the line of scrimmage and ends in disaster. The offensive line has its problems, but this flamboyant playbook isn't going to help the offense.

How bad was the offense? Six of New England's 11 drives ended with less than 10 yards of offense.

UP: Kayshon Boutte

Boutte had just two catches for 34 yards, but his 21-yard grab in the final seconds led to New England's final attempt.

He also threw some great blocks throughout the afternoon. Stevenson's touchdown run saw him fend off a would-be tackler, and his strong play without the ball in his hands should earn him even more playing time in the future.

UP: Patriots fan gives Tyreek Hill bad news

Despite all the ugliness and disappointment on Sunday, Patriots fans at least had a funny moment when they were able to let Tyreek Hill know that he actually didn't catch a touchdown in the third quarter.

If only the afternoon had ended there…