New England Patriots - NESN.com
Remember when the Patriots used to put up 40 points on a bad day? And if they dared score only in the 30s, they’d be subject to lobotomies by the local and national press.
Well, these days, New England rarely approaches 30 points, let alone 40. In fact, with Sunday’s 20-13 home loss to the Las Vegas Raiders, the Patriots extended their streak of scoring fewer than 30 points to a jaw-dropping 46 games.
That’s right: New England hasn’t eclipsed 30 points since Oct. 16, 2022, when it earned a 38-15 road win over the Cleveland Browns. As you might recall, Bailey Zappe made his second NFL start in place of an injured Mac Jones, throwing for 309 yards and two TDs in a performance that set the stage for the infamous Monday night debacle against the Chicago Bears.
Interestingly enough, the Patriots needed multiple short fields against the Browns — they started three scoring drives inside Cleveland’s 40-yard line thanks to turnovers — to reach those 38 points. So, really, you need to go back to Week 17 of the 2022 season (a 50-10 home win over the Jacksonville Jaguars) to find the last time New England topped 30 points without any caveats.
As for Sunday’s season-opening stinker, it was eerily similar to far too many Patriots losses in the post-Tom Brady era.
Dumb penalties. Shaky quarterback play. Bad special teams. Poor situational football. Overly conservative coaching. Too many big plays allowed on defense.
All of it was there, and it produced yet another frustrating loss in a winnable game against a middling opponent. We’ll just have to wait and see whether the Patriots, especially Drake Maye, respond this Sunday when they visit the Miami Dolphins.
