Sloppy. That's probably the biggest adjective to describe the New England Patriots' 21-14 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers at Gillette Stadium on Sunday. The Patriots were the better team for much of the game, but five turnovers that led to 14 Pittsburgh points proved to be New England's undoing.
Two of those were fumbles by tailback Rhamondre Stevenson, who followed up his stellar Week 2 performance in Miami with a stinker on Sunday. One of those fumbles was right on the goal line after a Robert Spillane interception set the Patriots up deep in Pittsburgh territory.
New England's final fumble, a strip-sack by Drake Maye, led to the winning score by the Steelers. As washed up as Aaron Rodgers looks, you can only give a future Hall of Famer so many mulligans before he cashes in. And the 1-2 Patriots are staring down the barrel of a must-win at home in Week 4 against Carolina with a Week 5 visit to Buffalo looming.
The 3 biggest questions looming over the Patriots after their Week 3 loss
Ball security issues shaping up as New England's biggest issue
You're not going to win games against the worst of high school football teams, much less in the NFL, when you lose four fumbles as the Patriots did on Sunday. TreVeyon Henderson was the only New England ball carrier who didn't cough it up, so maybe it's time for him to see the starting role.
As the game wore on, Henderson got more touches than Stevenson, combining for 11 carries and three receptions. If Stevenson can't hold on to the football - a problem that plagued him last season - Henderson needs to see the field more.
This team isn't good enough to give the ball away five times. But it's not all on the running backs.
Drake Maye needs to cash in on opportunities
The Patriots were in prime position to tie the score before halftime, but Maye threw a costly interception. Yes, the ball was tipped, but if Maye gets the ball out quicker, Stefon Diggs was wide open along the back of the end zone.
Maye did respond with a fourth-quarter TD pass to Hunter Henry to tie it up, but the quarterback's fumble later in the period gave Pittsburgh great field position, and you know the rest.
The second-year passer got the Patriots in position to tie the game in the final minutes, but couldn't deliver in the clutch, with a sack putting Maye and the offense behind the chains. Maye (28-37, 262 yards, two touchdowns) just needs to be more consistent.
Can the defense come up with clutch stops?
Again, there are only so many mulligans you can give players like Aaron Rodgers, and the Patriots' defense was put in precarious situations too many times.
It finally came back to bite them on the Steelers' game-winning touchdown drive. Calvin Austin's game-winning TD catch came on a perfectly-placed back shoulder throw.
The Patriots' secondary needs Christian Gonzalez back on the field, and fast. It's that simple.