Patriots Defenders No Longer Hiding Frustration With Offense

For a while, Patriots defenders said all the right things. Even as New England’s miserable offense left the defense with no margin for error, players offered team-first platitudes and refused to point fingers.

But cracks are starting to show, and for good reason.

The Patriots defense gave up just 10 points to the Colts on Sunday in Frankfurt, Germany. That should be enough to win against a team that has a middling defense. But New England’s offense once again failed to hold up its end of the bargain, managing just six points in another humiliating loss. Quarterback Mac Jones was the biggest culprit, throwing a late goal-line interception before getting benched.

While speaking to reporters after the game, safety Jabrill Peppers stated the obvious.

“It’s a little frustrating,” Peppers said of losing despite giving up just 10 points, via MassLive’s Chris Mason. “But we had our chances to keep them backed up and Gardner Minshew made some great throws on the run. … We held them to 10, but we had our chances to really put our foot on their throats and we definitely didn’t do it.”

It’ll be fascinating to see how Patriots players conduct themselves over the rest of the season. Will they keep things together, or will they devolve into the kind of in-fighting you typically see from other losing franchises?

New England will enjoy a much-needed bye this week. The Patriots will return Nov. 26 when they visit the New York Giants at MetLife Stadium.