4 Patriots on Thin Ice After Week 10 Loss to Colts

There was a time when the New England Patriots were the most dominant team in the NFL. That's no longer the case, however, and we saw that this weekend when they faced the Indianapolis Colts in Frankfurt, Germany. In an ugly game with hardly any offense, the Patriots fell short 10-6.

Every loss stings, but this one is especially concerning. New England had more first downs (21-to-14) than Indy and won the time of possession by nearly 10 minutes. The Patriots also racked up more than twice as many yards on the ground and would've had even more if Ezekiel Elliott didn't get a couple of runs called back due to a penalty.

Despite all of this, they fell to 2-8 and will head into their bye week with a lot of questions. They not only have to figure out why they can't move the ball in the red zone, but also whether or not a quarterback switch will help.

As they figure all that out, let's look at four players who are on thin ice heading into the break.

4. JuJu Smith-Schuster, Wide Receiver

Once an up-and-coming star for the Pittsburgh Steelers, JuJu Smith-Schuster has become an afterthought. He did go and win a title with the Kansas City Chiefs last year and somehow landed a three-year deal worth $25.5 million with New England this offseason.

So far, he's been not only a huge disappointment for them but also one of the biggest busts in the NFL. In 8 games, he only has 22 receptions for 149 yards with a single touchdown. In Week 10, he had just 1 catch for 9 yards. He was also guilty of an illegal shift that eliminated an 18-yard run for Elliott late in the fourth quarter.

Smith-Schuster was supposed to become a go-to target for Mac Jones, but he's been far from that. Entering the bye, he's fifth in receptions and is averaging under 7 yards per catch. The one thing that keeps him from being benched full-time is the lack of any other legitimate options in this receiving corps.