Patriots lack of discipline a massive issue already vs. the Dolphins

Several issues surrounding the fit of the new Patriots coaching staff have been a prominent topic every week this season. Unfortunately, that continues already in their Week 12 matchup against the Dolphins.

Because it's a game in Miami, it wasn't expected to be easy for New England, as they have historically had a rough time getting a win against their divisional opponent on the road. Their offense has been questionable, and their defense has struggled over the past few weeks, which doesn't bode well against a team with as much offensive firepower as the Dolphins.

Luckily, most of that didn't appear to be too much of an issue in the first quarter, and the main opponents remained the players themselves.

Through the first 15 minutes of the game, the Patriots accrued five penalties for a loss of 30 yards, four of which were pre-snap penalties. The offensive line committed multiple false starts, pushing the offense back and ultimately forcing a field goal attempt.

That didn't end well, either, with Joey Slye missing a 45-yard kick. It was the cherry on top of an avoidable bad drive despite the impressive efforts of the quarterback and the running backs.

It further hammered home the team's repeated lack of discipline this season, further questioning the coaching staff as the same mistakes continue to be a problem each and every week. The offense's lack of success has primarily been due to these mistakes, which isn't fair to a player like Maye, who is doing all he can to move the football down the field.

It's clearer than ever that roster changes need to be made, especially on the offensive line. Robert Kraft needs to really examine the coaching staff at the end of the season despite the current notion that they'll all be safe next offseason.

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