Patriots haven’t been this bad since they were literally punished for cheating

The New England Patriots were always going to have a rough time in the 2023 season. After all, they had one of the tougher schedules in the league, while their rivals in the AFC East all improved during the offseason. But with head coach Bill Belichick, Patriots fans expected them to stay afloat and fight hard against opponents.

While the Patriots did put up fights in their first three games of the season, that hasn't been the case in Weeks 4 and 5. Last week, the Patriots were blown out 38-3 by the Dallas Cowboys. Now heading back home, the Patriots were shut out 34-0 to the New Orleans Saints.

Just how bad have things gone for the Patriots? Well, this is the first time that the Patriots were held without point for the first time since Oct. 2, 2016. That was when quarterback Tom Brady was suspended for "Deflategate."

Week 5 loss is first time Patriots were shut out since 2016

Not great for the Patriots, who have been used to success since Brady had taken over at quarterback in the 2001 season.

Speaking of that 2016 game, the Patriots lost 16-0 to the Buffalo Bills. Jacoby Brissett was the quarterback for the matchup, who completed 17-of-27 pass attempts for 205 yards. This was New England's last game without Brady for the four-game suspension, as he returned to the field one week later.

On Sunday, quarterback Mac Jones is again in the spotlight due to his struggles on the field. Jones had three turnovers against the Patriots, two of which came on interceptions. The common theme is all of them led to points being scored by the Saints.

Jones' first interception of the game was returned by safety Tyrann Mathieu for a 27-yard touchdown. His interception in the third quarter led to the Saints picking up another touchdown, this time on a six-yard pass from quarterback Derek Carr to tight end Foster Moreau. Then, Jones' lost fumble early on in the second half led to the Saints scoring three points on a 54-yard field goal by Blake Grupe.

The 2021 first-round pick of the Patriots was benched late in the game for the second consecutive week. Bailey Zappe entered in relief. Even with this move being made for the second consecutive game, Belichick said that it was a result of the score and that the team's struggles "wasn't all him."

The Patriots are 1-4 on the season and appear to be on the wrong side of the playoff window. It's hard to count out a Belichick-coached team, but this year feels different. We'll see if they can get back in the win column next week when they face the Las Vegas Raiders, led by former offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels and quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo.