FOXBORO -- Can’t blame this one on practice time, or a lack thereof.
The Patriots were outplayed across the board on Sunday, and their 33-6 defeat at the hands of the Niners was their worst at home since 2000. For the first time since 2002, they've lost three in a row.
They were out-possessed by 17 minutes. They were out-gained almost 2-to-1 (467 yards to 241). They were 1-for-6 on third down (to San Francisco's 5-for-9), and they did not make a trip into the red zone (while the Niners went 4-for-5).
What might be most alarming about the performance of Bill Belichick's club, though, was the play of its starting quarterback.