New England was blown out 34-15 in Week 12.

The New England Patriots have played a lot of bad football so far this season, but their 34-15 loss to the Miami Dolphins might just have been rock bottom. While the team showed a modicum of life in the second half, its first-half performance was downright embarrassing in all three phases.

The offense kept shooting itself in the foot. The defense had no answers for the Dolphins’ spirited attack. Special teams again left points on the board. When the whistle was blown on the first 30 minutes of the game, the Patriots were down 24-0 while looking resigned to the fact that they would not be competitive on Sunday.

Even though there were some positive moments in the second half after the game had gotten out of hand, the performance as a whole was noncompetitive. For quarterback Drake Maye, it also was unacceptable — something he wants his team to feel as well.

“It’s tough. Anytime you’re losing,” Maye said after the game. “Like I always said, I hate losing really more than I like to win. Losing sucks. I told some guys on the sidelines, ‘Remember this feeling. Remember this feeling of getting your butts whooped today.’”

By now, the Patriots have gotten used to losing. Standing at 3-9, they already know that they will finish with a losing record for a third year in a row.

However, their loss against Miami felt different: it was a step back after some positive momentum that had been built recently. The Patriots had been able to keep games close even in defeat over the last month, but saw the Dolphins blow their doors off while not offering much resistance either.

The hope is that Maye will be part of a change for the better in that regard. On Sunday, he tried his best to be; despite his supporting cast repeatedly not being up to the task, he had some encouraging moments yet again and tried to carry the team back out of its hole.

In total, he finished completing 22 of 37 pass attempts for 222 yards with one touchdown and interception each; he also was strip-sacked in the third quarter. His efforts ultimately were not enough, but he hardly was the problem either.

“It’s tough. It’s frustrating,” Maye said, while also trying to offer a glass-half-full perspective.

“I know we got better football ahead of us. … I think it’s only up from here. We got a bright future, bright players in there that can make some plays for the Patriots.”

Among those players, Maye is the one leading the charge.