10 things we learned about the Patriots vs. Dolphins in NFL Week 5

The New England Patriots lost another winnable game on Sunday. They hosted the lowly Miami Dolphins at Gillette Stadium – a team down to a third-string quarterback – and dropped their fourth straight game with a final score of 15-10.

Let's get to our takeaways from what was a nap for most of the afternoon.

1. The coaching staff is overwhelmed: Five games into his career as Patriots head coach, Jerod Mayo is still on a steep learning curve; The coach he is today may not be the coach he is at the end of the season and beyond. Still, he and his staff continue to contribute to the team's problems so far this season.

Mayo's predecessor, Bill Belichick, always referred to people like him as “mistake repeaters.” Once again, the Patriots made very questionable decisions at the end of the first half that resulted in the Dolphins having a chance to grab a few free points at the end of the half.

They also had 12 men on the field on a punt, giving the Dolphins a free first down; Christian Gonzalez made sure the penalty didn't hurt them, but that still can't happen. If you are unable to utilize personnel properly on a critical play, the head coach must make sure to call a timeout before the ball is snapped.

There are also offensive coaching questions. The game play is inconsistent at best, and while the overall talent may not be particularly exciting, they don't seem to be putting their players in the best position to succeed either. Take Antonio Gibson, who averaged over 8 yards per carry against Miami but only carried the ball six times. Between him and Rhamondre Stevenson, Alex Van Pelt only scored 18 runs compared to 37 passes. Let's not forget that the Patriots led the game for almost three full quarters.

“I expected to take my bumps, just like a lot of other first-year head coaches,” Mayo said after the game. “I agree with that. It's about the guys in the locker room and we have to get better. We, myself included.”

It's still early, but the initial evaluation of the Patriots' new coaching staff isn't good. The hope is that more experience will lead to better results for Mayo and his crew.

2. Penalties remain an issue: The inadequate coaching is also reflected in New England's high penalty number. The Patriots finished Sunday with two more penalties accepted (12) than points (10) and, frankly, just aren't good enough to overcome those issues.

There were several shocking penalties against the team on Sunday. For example, after Brenden Schooler's blocked punt, the Patriots had the ball at the 23-yard line and, despite a 29-yard gain, were stopped at the 14-yard line, resulting in a missed field goal: the drive was completed twice holding calls pushed back.

Defensively, Keion White committed two 15-yard penalties on the same drive, nothing short of impressive, and Christian Elliss was responsible for a bad pass interference on a 5-yard slant on 3rd-and-14, resulting in an automatic first down.

Not being good is one thing, but being both bad and undisciplined will never be enough in this league. The Patriots need to clean up their act quickly, as Sunday's performance bordered on embarrassment in that regard.

3. The ice is thinning for Jacoby Brissett: The Patriots' offense isn't good and their starting quarterback isn't making things any better. In fact, it seems like Jacoby Brissett is actively holding the unit back at this point.

There's no denying his toughness and he always bounces back after being knocked down time and time again, but he's not a starting-caliber quarterback. His decision to throw the final pass of the game short of the end zone and into the middle of the field may have been the nail in the coffin; The game was over as soon as that pass came into play as Hunter Henry had no chance to score or leave the field to stop the clock.

“Jacoby is out there trying to do what we asked him to do from the start,” Jerod Mayo said. “He has taken some tough hits and his toughness continues to show. The execution of the entire offense has to be better in the future.”

How long the coaching staff will allow Brissett to be a starter remains to be seen, but the fan base is starting to get restless and is calling for Drake Maye to show what he can do.

Brissett is in there because he's supposed to be the smart veteran. However, plays like his last pass just makes you wonder what he really gives the Patriots that Drake Maye doesn't, aside from the fact that he's taking hits that the rookie doesn't have to take.

4. Christian Gonzalez is a star: The Patriots don't have many blue-chip players on their roster, but they certainly have one in Christian Gonzalez. Another week of facing off against a superstar wide receiver and another week of pinning him was on the agenda for the sophomore on Sunday. Tyreek Hill finished the game with six catches for 69 yards, but the majority of that performance came against Gonzalez.

He also ran a route for Odell Beckham Jr. in the first quarter, intercepted it and made a diving interception. He's developing into one of the best corners in the league, and although the Patriots have struggled in zone defense, Gonzalez is an eraser when going 1-on-1 against pretty much anyone.

5. Patriots ride the special teams roller coaster: There were plenty of positives for the Patriots' special teams team on Sunday: Brenden Schooler continued his rise as an elite special teams player with a blocked punt; Bryce Baringer again averaged over 50 yards per punt; a nice punt return from Marcus Jones at the end of the game.

However, there were some bad things too. Joey Slye, who had played solid all year, missed a 33-yard field goal; Baringer hit a punt at the end of the first half; Penalize the aforementioned 12 men on the field to convert a third down.

Jeremy Springer is in his first year as the NFL's special teams coordinator and there are definitely bright spots. Overall, however, the game is still a bit too inconsistent.

6. Daniel Ekuale leaves an impression: Someone had to step in for Christian Barmore after he was diagnosed with a blood clot, and the vacancy has been pretty well received so far. On Sunday, Daniel Ekuale did the best job of any centre-back, replicating some of Barmore's performances this season.

Ekuale was everywhere against Miami. He played in the backfield, helped as a run defender and also put some pressure on the quarterback. He finished his game with nine total tackles, one tackle for loss and 0.5 sacks. The Patriots desperately need guys to exceed their expectations and Ekuale did just that on Sunday.

7. The offensive line is showing signs of life: During the week, offensive line coach Scott Peters mentioned that he thought Michael Onwenu would be better suited as a guard and that they wanted him there if possible. Well, that's exactly what they did on Sunday, moving Demontrey Jacobs to right tackle while Vederian Lowe was healthy again at left tackle.

The protection still wasn't great, but it was better and the run blocking continued to look good. The Patriots need to keep the offensive line together and play better if they want to start Drake Maye this season, and Sunday was a step in the right direction.

Nick Leverett has been the focus, and I think there's a chance Bryan Hudson, who took a lot of snaps in practice with Leverett, gets a chance to show what he can do. Regardless of whether it's Leverett or Hudson, it was nice to see the line play better on Sunday, even if it was a small improvement. If they can continue to improve, the Patriots could get their offense moving in the right direction.

8. Marte Mapu looks good in the first action: Marte Mapu has been in action since the start of training camp, but this week he was finally ready to play. Since Jabrill Peppers and Kyle Dugger were both out, he was called into action in his first game.

It didn't take long for him to make an impact, and his athleticism and physicality were clearly evident on the field. He played safety and linebacker, and honestly, he looked like one of the best defensive players on Sunday. It was good to see and I hope he will continue his performance and continue to improve as the season progresses.

9. Rhamondre Stevenson looks the way he's supposed to look: In four games, Rhamondre Stevenson – the Patriots' best offensive player – fumbled the ball four times. It got to the point where he was replaced in the starting lineup by Antonio Gibson. He still got the most carries in the game against Miami and ran hard, including a 33-yard touchdown run in the first quarter.

Stevenson ran hard all game and, even better, kept the ball. The Patriots need their best offensive player on offense, and the one-two punch of him and Gibson is a really solid duo. If Stevenson can keep his ball security under control, the Patriots should feel good about relying on him again going forward.

10. The chance was there: Football is all about inches, and the Patriots lost on Sunday because of Ja'Lynn Polk's heel. Of course, there were many other moments in the game, but this play will leave the lasting impression of this game.

The verdict itself was not without controversy, as Polk managed to get his toe down first before going heel out of bounds. Unfortunately, the rule states that the entire step must be taken within bounds, and Polk's heel landed on the line. The Patriots need guys who can make difficult plays, and they're going to need Polk to step up and make plays even when they're difficult and even when his quarterback doesn't give him a good opportunity to make a play. That's not fair, it's just the way it is right now.