This was a difficult loss for coach Jerod Mayo

“It’s like one step forward, like 20 steps back,” quarterback Jacoby Brissett said.

The Patriots hardly had more first downs (13) than penalties (12). Some of them were inexcusable, like having 12 players on the field on fourth-and-1, which turned a Dolphins punt into a first down. Or Hunter Henry was called for a false start in the final quarter of the game. The Patriots also suffered a delay of game on one of their own punts, prompting Fox announcer Chris Myers to remark, “My goodness.” And they couldn’t get out of each other’s way on the second-to-last drive and were arrested for holding and illegal formation penalties when they needed a touchdown.

Beyond the penalties, there were startling mishaps. Towards the end of the second quarter, the Patriots once again slaughtered the clock management. They forgot to cover Jonnu Smith on third-and-17, allowing him to gain enough yards to put Jason Sanders in range for a 54-yard field goal. The Patriots also stumbled on their feet in the second quarter – they called a timeout, wasted a play and missed a 33-yard field goal attempt.

It’s one thing to lose to Brock Purdy and Aaron Rodgers, like the Patriots did the previous two weeks. But now they’re losing to a third-string quarterback in Tyler Huntley and to a struggling Dolphins team that’s made a lot of ridiculous mistakes of its own – a missed field goal, two errant snaps that cost them points and a blocked punt.

We knew the Patriots wouldn’t have enough talent to be competitive this year. But the lack of discipline and overall sloppy play reflects poorly on Mayo, a new head coach who still has a long way to go.

▪ Where is the creativity of Alex Van Pelt and the offensive coaches? The Dolphins at least outscored the Patriots with a steady dose of play-action and misdirection to make up for their talent deficiencies in Huntley, gaining 372 total yards. The Patriots had most of their starting offense available, but gained just 299 yards (137 in the fourth quarter) with their boring, unimaginative scheme. They only had 55 plays compared to the Dolphins’ 75 and only held the ball 25:40.

I’ve always been waiting for the Patriots to call some trick plays or use play-action – Brissett has the fewest play-action pass attempts in the league – but Van Pelt sticks with vanilla as his favorite option. And the result is just two offensive touchdowns in the last three games.

▪ Brissett doesn’t have much of a chance because he’s under constant pressure, but his time as the starting quarterback will likely have to come to an end soon. He once again struggled to push the ball down the field, throwing it for just 160 yards and only having two completions for 20 yards.

The Patriots once again failed to generate big plays or sustain drives. They only had five drives of more than 10 yards, and three of those came in the fourth quarter.

Five games into the season, the offense under Brissett is perhaps the worst in the NFL and is showing no improvement. The Patriots cannot continue to falter and maintain the status quo. The simplest and most obvious change is at quarterback.

▪ The Patriots’ defense was missing some key pieces – safeties Kyle Dugger and Jabrill Peppers and linebacker Ja’Whaun Bentley – and was overwhelmed by the Dolphins’ running game, which entered the game ranked 28th in the NFL with 3.7 yards per carry.

The Dolphins rushed 41 times for 193 yards, with Raheem Mostert and Jaylen Wright combining for 166 yards on 32 carries. If the Patriots defense can’t stop the run, this team won’t win another game this season.

▪ The Patriots coaches apparently learned nothing from their timing error against the Seahawks in Week 2 because they did it again. They found themselves in no man’s land, unsure whether to go for it or play a half.

With 1:50 left, the Patriots started at their own 5-yard line, ran the ball down first and then took their time getting back to the line of scrimmage – giving the impression they were just trying to score at halftime come. But then the Patriots completed two straight passes, both of which were incomplete, stopping the clock and giving the Dolphins another possession with 55 seconds left.

The Dolphins didn’t take advantage because they are just as inept as the Patriots. But a competent team would have scored at least 3 points, if not 7.

It’s one thing for the Patriots to make a mistake in clock management. But repeating the exact mistake they made against Seattle three weeks ago is inexcusable.

▪ As bad as the Patriots are right now, at least they have a legitimate franchise cornerstone in second-year cornerback Christian Gonzalez. He covered Tyreek Hill most of the day, had a fantastic diving interception in the first half when he skipped a slant pass, and almost had another interception in the end zone in the third quarter, but Hill knocked the ball out of him hands.

Gonzalez is like a meme of a fancy sports car parked next to a trailer.

▪ Mayo followed suit and benched Rhamondre Stevenson for Antonio Gibson at the start of the game because of his four mistakes in four weeks. But nothing really changed – Stevenson was still the workhorse, touching the ball 16 times for 92 yards, while Gibson only had 7 touches for 56 yards. Stevenson scored the Patriots’ only touchdown on a 33-yard run and averaged 7.4 yards per carry in the game. Stevenson is the Patriots’ best playmaker, and they are so lacking in talent that they can’t afford to limit his playing time.

Ben Volin can be reached at [email protected].