FOXBOROUGH, Mass. (PSF)—The New England Patriots fall to 2-7 on the season after a heartbreaking 20-17 loss to the Washington Commanders at home.

Offense:

The Patriots’ offense reverted to their old ways against the Commanders.

They started with good momentum in their first drive, but that was halted on the failed 4th-and-3 conversion. That turnover on downs gave Washington the ability to strike first with a 37-yard field goal.

A quick three-and-out gave the ball back to the Commanders, who extended their lead after a nine-yard rushing touchdown by running back Brian Robinson.

The Patriots finally put points on the board after a defensive turnover. Quarterback Mac Jones connected with tight end Hunter Henry for a 14-yard touchdown. On their next drive, RB Rhamondre Stevenson had a huge 64-yard run for a touchdown. This was a career-long run for Stevenson.

After leading 14-10 at halftime, the Patriots came out of the break looking for more points. They started the third quarter with a 43-yard field goal, extending their lead to seven points. Unfortunately, this would be the only time the Patriots would score in the second half.

Washington responded with a 33-yard passing touchdown to tie it at 17. As the third quarter ended, Washington retook the lead with a 30-yard field goal.

After each team took turns punting several times, the New England offense got the ball back at their own nine-yard line with a little over two minutes left in the game.

On this drive, the Patriots were able to convert on a 4th and 4 with Jones connecting with wide receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster.

It was unclear whether the Patriots were trying to secure the win with a touchdown or if they were trying to tie it up with a field goal to go into overtime. Either way, their hopes were finished when Jones threw an interception, intended for Smith-Schuster, in the last 30 seconds. This untimely turnover secured Washington’s victory over New England.

Jones finished the day only completing 55% of his pass attempts, threw for 220 yards, one touchdown and one interception. His average yards per pass was only five yards, dropping back down to the numbers he was posting before the Bills game. Jones was not sacked in this game.

The playcalling by the Patriots was also horrible in this game. They only converted on 25% of third downs, and many of the calls highlighted Jones’ inability to accurately throw downfield.

The Pats continue to use Stevenson as a dual threat as an RB and WR. He finished the day with 87 yards rushing, 42 yards receiving and one touchdown.

Defense:

The Patriots’ defense continues to be the saving grace of this team. They opened with a big third-down stop to hold Washington to only a field goal.

After Washington’s touchdown, linebacker Jahlani Tavai punched the ball out of Robinson’s arms, and it was recovered by Patriots lineman Davon Godchaux. This fumble led to the Patriots’ first touchdown of the game. The Patriots ended the first half with a key endzone interception by Kyle Dugger, which aided in the Patriots keeping their lead going into the locker room.

Quarterback Sam Howell is the most sacked QB in the NFL, and the Patriots added three more sacks to that number. Ja’Whaun Bentley accounted for two of the sacks and Deatrich Wise Jr. recorded the third.

The Patriots’ defense came up with key turnovers in this game, but they still gave up crucial yardage and downs because of their inadequate tackling.  

Takeaways and Looking Forward:

The penalties in this game were better than in the previous games- only four for 30 yards- but they continue to be consequential, such as the offsides on Washington’s punt that gave them the ball back.

The loss of Kendrick Bourne and DeVante Parker due to injuries from the last game seemed to shake this offense up more than expected. Hopefully, the offense can work things out before the next game.

The Patriots will be in Frankfurt, Germany, on Nov. 12 to take on the 4-5 Colts.