The New England Patriots lost another close game on Sunday, this time against the Buffalo Bills. But even though they are now 2-6 in one-score games this year and lost in frustrating fashion once again, their 24-21 defeat also saw plenty of encouraging things from the team of head coach Jerod Mayo.

Let’s get into our takeaways from the Patriots’ 12th loss of the season.

Patriots have not quit yet

Based on the rumblings surrounding the team, it appears ownership wants to keep Jerod Mayo as the Patriots’ head coach for 2025. However, it appears a bit of challenge to the coaching staff and players was issues as well: look like a competent NFL team, or else.

The Patriots, for the most part, did that on Sunday against the Bills.

It wasn’t perfect, and there were still plenty of mistakes, but the team was fighting tooth and nail against one of the better teams in the AFC and the NFL as a whole. In that sense, it was also making a statement on the behalf of Mayo and his staff.

“I love playing for Jerod and I love playing for AVP,” said team captain Hunter Henry about his head coach and offensive coordinator, Alex Van Pelt. “That are two guys I love going to battle with.”

Regardless of the outcome, and the actual decision making during the game, it was nice to see the Patriots actually go out there and compete — something it feels like they have not done in a while.

Coaching issues remain

Just because the team played hard for its coach doesn’t mean that there weren’t some head-scratching coaching decisions as well. They could have been more aggressive in the game, and some of the play calling, on both offense and defense, was suspect, too.

The decision to punt with 8 minutes left in the game down 10 points, for example, was quite dubious. The Patriots ended up scoring to cut their deficit to three, but there wasn’t enough time left for them to actually win. Punting there felt more like an attempt to not get blown out, instead of actually putting yourself in the best position to win.

Of course, Mayo offered little insight into his decision making after the game.

“I’m not going to get too much into the thought process on that. I tried to do what’s best for the team,” he said.

In general, the Patriots needed to show some urgency late. Both their decisions and their laissez-faire approach to clock management ended up costing them a better chance at winning the game.

On the flip side, the decision to run a fake punt on 4th-and-1 was the first time all season it felt like the Patriots really went for it. That was something you would like to see a lot more of from a team already eliminated from the playoffs.

It is still unclear what type of team the Patriots are trying to be, as they seem to make most decisions in a vacuum and not in the flow of the game. Simply put, even with the effort on Sunday, there are some real questions about this coaching staff as a whole. One performance should take anyone off the hot seat.

Rhamondre Stevenson has a bad case of the Fumblitis

Rhamondre Stevenson now is the only running back in the last four years with seven fumbles in a single season (and that’s not even counting his drop on the backwards pass that resulted in a touchdown). He just can’t seem to hang onto the ball at the moment. Yes, he has ran well — he still needs 140 yards to break 1,000 this season, though — but none of that matters if you can’t hold onto the ball.

The Patriots don’t have a ton of talent, so one of your better offensive players making bad plays on a semi-consistent basis is simply unacceptable. The Patriots have to think long and hard about Stevenson’s future this offseason, or at the very least do a better job splitting the carries to limit his exposure.

Patriots still can’t stop the run

With Christian Barmore, Ja’Whaun Bentley and Jabrill Peppers all unavailable, the Patriots were down some key defenders at the heart of their defense on Sunday. However, they still have to be able to at least come close to stopping the run, and the run fits from the guys out there make it look like they don’t even practice how to stop the run.

Every week it looks like this, and every week we come back to the same questions about coaching. Yes, you need players to make the plays, but these players aren’t even remotely close to competing at the appropriate level. If they were, and simply couldn’t make the plays, that would be one thing, but at times they look like they have never seen a running play before at times.

That is more about the coaching than it is the players.

Offensive line shows some life

The Patriots were able to provide some running lanes for their running backs today, and the right side of the line in particular looked good when run-blocking. Demontrey Jacobs has struggled most of the season, and was a liability versus the pass, but he was good in the run game on Sunday. It was a step forward one way, and a step backward in another way.

What all of that means with Caedan Wallace nearing a return remains to be seen. The rookie stepping in to provide improved play is not a given either.

Mental errors continue

The Patriots haven’t had much of a pass rush this season, but on Sunday, it seemed intentional; they were trying to keep Josh Allen in the pocket, which is why it was so frustrating to see players run past the Bills’ MVP candidate and give him easy chances to escape.

One culprit worth mentioning is team captain Deatrich Wise Jr., who seems to struggle with contain far too often; that is not something that you can have from one of your veteran leaders. Other players running past Allen on Sunday included Yannick Ngakoue and Keion White, even though both are of lesser experience than Wise Jr. in the Patriots’ system.

The mental issues are partially on the coaching. The blame also has to also fall on the players, though, especially when somebody like Wise Jr. is involved.

Drake Maye continues delivering the goods (and bads)

Drake Maye played fantastic in the first half on Sunday. His 31-yard touchdown to Kayshon Boutte on the first drive was outstanding, and the throw to Hunter Henry earlier in the drive might have been even better considering the pressure he was under. The second half, however, was a different story.

The interception that he threw was put in the wrong spot, it seems like. The route running certainly wasn’t perfect, and the Patriots were unhappy about a potential interference at the top, but the throw also came to a spot that made it hard for Austin Hooper to reach in the first place.

In general, Maye’s accuracy was a little spotty at times. The fumble that was recovered by the Bills for a touchdown may not have totally been his fault, but you’d still like to see him react to the defender being all over Rhamondre Stevenson in that spot. He also took a delay of game on 3rd-and-1 in the fourth quarter; they were unable to pick up the first after the penalty, and were forced to punt.

Those types of mistakes are easily avoidable, but the culmination of them cost New England on Sunday. Of course, not all of the issues are directly his fault, and he has carried the offense at times this year. However, Maye looked more like a rookie than he has in a while during the second half on Sunday.

Playing time questions

For the second time this season — the other instance being Kendrick Bourne — a player who previously was a healthy scratch played a significant role for the Patriots, and looked good doing so.

Marte Mapu was a healthy scratch for the past two weeks, but on Sunday looked like one of the better players on the Patriots defense. Serving as the defensive on-field signal caller, he registered an interception and generally found himself around the ball on a regular basis.

Coaching isn’t just about the play and development, it is also about putting the best players in the right position to be successful. It is hard to argue that the Patriots have done that consistently.

Jerod Mayo has also been talking about seeing what he has in players like Ja’Lynn Polk, Javon Baker, and Cole Strange. All three of them were active today, but they played a total of 11 snaps, including zero by Strange. The staff can’t keep saying that the priority is the young players and seeing what they have, and not play the guys that they say they need to see something from. At some point, there has to be some consistency from Mayo and company.

One silver lining

With Sunday’s loss, and the Las Vegas Raiders beating the Jacksonville Jaguars, the Patriots are now in position for the No. 2 overall pick. This puts them in prime spot to trade out with a quarterback-needy team and possibly get a sizable haul in return.

With the Patriots already having their quarterback of the future, they should be in a good position to make a move back and pick up more assets. Also, if the New York Giants can find a way to win a game in the next two, the Patriots have a shot at the No. 1 overall pick as well, assuming they don’t manage to win one of their last two games versus the Los Angeles Chargers and the Bills, again.

Closing out at home

The Patriots will close out the season with their last two games at home; the first coming against the Chargers on Saturday afternoon. It will be the first time the Patriots have played a standalone game since they were in London against the Jaguars, a lackluster 32-16 defeat.

It remains to be seen how the Patriots will play in their final two games. The hope is that they will show a little growth, and give some of those young guys some real opportunities to play.