The New England Patriots played a little better in Sunday's Week 6 road game against the Las Vegas Raiders, but the self-inflected wounds that have torpedoed them throughout the 2023 NFL season showed up at the worst possible times in a 21-17 loss at Allegiant Stadium.
The start and finish for the Patriots were particularly noteworthy.
The Patriots' first offensive drive started with two penalties and resulted in a 3-and-out. They quickly fell behind 10-0 and trailed 13-3 at halftime. After getting back into the game with a fourth quarter touchdown to trim the Raiders' lead to 19-17, the Patriots got the ball back at their own 9-yard line with 2:23 remaining.