You have to give the 2023 New England Patriots credit: They keep finding creative ways to lose.
Despite owning a 2-8 record and a three-game losing streak, the Patriots were favored entering Sunday's road matchup with the New York Giants, who had a 3-8 record and the NFL's worst scoring offense.
New York's impotent offense lived up to its billing at MetLife Stadium: Quarterback Tommy DeVito was sacked six times as the Giants mustered just 10 points on 220 yards of total offense. And yet, that performance was somehow good enough for a win, as Patriots kicker Chad Ryland shanked a 35-yard field goal with six seconds remaining to allow New York to escape with a 10-7 victory.
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How improbable was the Patriots' loss to the Giants? New York became the first team ever in the Super Bowl era to win a game in which it scored 10 or fewer points, was sacked six or more times and attempted fewer than 20 rushes. (The Giants had 58 rushing yards on 19 attempts.)
To say the Patriots' offense didn't pull their weight in this game would be a massive understatement.
Starting quarterback Mac Jones committed two brutal turnovers in the first half, including an interception at the Giants' 19-yard line with New England in field goal range. Backup Bailey Zappe replaced Jones in the second half and wasn't much better: After leading the Patriots on their lone touchdown drive early in the third quarter, Zappe threw an interception of his own in the fourth quarter and finished the game with a 42.0 passer rating.
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New England still had a chance to send the game to overtime in the fourth quarter with the ball on the Giants' 17-yard line, but Ryland's missed chip shot sealed the improbable loss.
Unfortunately for the Patriots, this combination of solid defense but completely inept offense is nothing new. They've now allowed 40 points total over their last three games -- 20 against the Washington Commanders, 10 against the Indianapolis Colts and 10 against the Giants -- but somehow are 0-3 during that stretch.
That's a blatant indictment of Jones, Zappe and the entire offensive operation for a New England team that now owns the NFL's second-worst record at 2-9. Next up for the Patriots are Justin Herbert and the Los Angeles Chargers, who boast the league's eighth-ranked scoring offense at 25.8 points per game.
