FOXBORO, Mass. -- The roster is not great and the product on the field is ugly. There's no doubt about it. Injuries have piled up for the New England Patriots, too. Those are impossible to overlook despite the fact every team is forced to deal with them.
But the Patriots' loss to the Miami Dolphins at Gillette Stadium on Sunday proved more than that.
New England's offense was gifted advantageous field position after an interception and blocked punt. The Patriots turned those into just seven points. Meanwhile, the Dolphins had a punt blocked, a bad snap on a field goal which took them out of field goal range and a separate botched snap which prevented a Miami field goal attempt.