The New England Patriots entered Sunday's Week 5 matchup against the Miami Dolphins at Gillette Stadium as favorites, but they lost the contest, their fourth in a row, 15-10.
New England honestly looked like one of the worst teams in the league on Sunday, which was spurred by some poor performances from key members of the organization.
After this loss, let's give some credit to those who deserve it and take a look at who needs to stay after practice on the fields or who needs some extra work in the meeting rooms this week.
WINNER: CB Christian Gonzalez
Gonzalez continued to shut down top wideouts on Sunday, holding Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle to four catches on seven targets for 45 yards.
He recorded his first interception of the year on a diving play and nearly had another in the end zone.
In five games this season, opposing quarterbacks have completed just 36% of their attempts when targeting Gonzalez.
LOSER: QB Jacoby Brissett
Brissett's leash as the starter is definitely being tightened after this game, as he completed just 52.9% of his passes for 160 yards (46 of which came on their final drive).
He's not in the best situation with a terrible offensive line and lackluster weapons around him, but he's not helping the team either.
It wouldn't be surprising if the Patriots make a switch at the position in the coming weeks.
WINNERS: Rhamondre Stevenson, Antonio Gibson
While New England couldn't do much of anything in the passing game, they ran the ball very well. Stevenson and Gibson combined for 7.8 yards per attempt, and Brissett's one rush for 10 yards brought the team to a franchise record 7.9 yards per carry.
Stevenson also scored on a 33-yard rush despite losing the starting job due to fumbling issues.
Unfortunately, the Patriots went away from the run.
LOSERS: Coaches/Gameplan
Speaking of that, New England went into the season saying that they were going to be a run-first team, but that clearly wasn't the case in a winnable game on Sunday.
They were running the ball well and were never down more than five points, so there was no need to throw as many times as they did.
That's a coaching problem, and it wasn't the only one.
How many unforced, undisciplined penalties did the Patriots get called for in this game? It was quite a bit. This team isn't good enough to frequently overcome unnecessary mistakes. That lack of focus and discipline falls on Jerod Mayo and company.
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