3 Patriots Fans Should Blame (and 2 They Shouldn’t) for Blowout Loss to Cowboys

Blame: Mike Owenu

Speaking of core issues on New England’s roster, the poor offensive line has also played a role in the team’s underwhelming showings. And Mike Owenu still starting continues to hurt this unit.

He picked up a whopping three penalties not just in Week 4, but in the second quarter of Week 4 alone. All came at crucial moments or led to game-changing plays.

First there was his false start that put the Patriots in an even bigger hole on third down, and the team went on fail on 4th-and-1 just two plays later. Then there was his second false start, which backed the Pats’ offense even closer to their own end zone and paved the way for Dallas to record a strip-sack touchdown on Mac Jones. Finally, his holding penalty at the end of the half negated a 12-yard run by Rhamondre Stevenson and made it even tougher to get a score before halftime.

It’s no surprise that Owenu’s blunders just happened to take place during the quarter that changed the entire game. He’s shown he’s not starting-quality, and his dismal 44.7 overall grade from ProFootballFocus certainly emphasizes that. Belichick is doing a disservice to his offense as long as he continues to trot Owenu out there.

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