New England Patriots: Why team’s Week 14 loss is unique

The New England Patriots Week 14 loss may seem like a blip on the radar, but it seems like a loss we haven’t seen before.

I have no idea what I just witnessed. How did the New England Patriots lose? The impossible happened and now Pats fans have to try and explain themselves why New England is 9-4.

Let’s put everything in perspective. New England had a 33-28 lead over the Miami Dolphins with time dwindling down. Miami was on their own 31-yard line, and they somehow managed to win the game.

Tom Brady deserves some of the blame. He dropped the ball near the end of the 2nd quarter. Brady forgot how many timeouts the team had and ended up costing the Patriots points.

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Stephen Gostkowski also had a terrible game. He missed a PAT and a 42-yard field goal. When you lose by a point it is easy to just blame the kicker but it isn’t all his fault.

Still, Gostkowski needs to make these kicks. It’s literally the only thing the Patriots pay him to do. You may be able to give Gostkowski a pass on the 42-yard field goal, but the PAT is unacceptable.

Finally to the play that shocked the world. The Patriots were in prevent defense and were just trying to protect the end zone. Kenny Stills caught the ball behind the 50-yard line and two laterals later Kenyan Drake had the ball and ended up taking it to the house.

Now first off you can call out the Patriots for being in prevent defense. The ball wasn’t going to end up in the end zone. Ryan Tannehill wasn’t going to throw a 75-yard bomb.

Then Bill Belichick decided to put Rob Gronkowski in at safety instead of Devin McCourty. With Gronkowski dealing with plenty of injury problems there is no reason to have him out there. You just need to make a tackle so keep McCourty out there.

What’s so different about this loss?

The thing that makes this loss so different is that Bill Belichick had an awful game. The decision to have Gronkowski in for the final play will haunt him.

Also, the Patriots don’t allow these crazy plays to work. New England was supposed to walk away with the AFC East title. They had some great play from their stars.

The loss was just a huge punch in the guy. It makes you wonder if this team has what it takes to win a Super Bowl.

Bill Belichick is known for being a great coach, but he has made some interesting calls this season. This is a game that the Patriots typically win. I know they struggle against the Miami Dolphins, but Tom Brady and Rob Gronkowski played great games. There are no excuses.

The New England Patriots need to move on quickly. If they dwell on this terrible loss they may cost themselves a chance to win the Super Bowl.