FOXBORO -- Can’t blame this one on practice time, or a lack thereof.
The Patriots were outplayed across the board on Sunday, and their 33-6 defeat at the hands of the Niners was their worst at home since 2000. For the first time since 2002, they've lost three in a row.
They were out-possessed by 17 minutes. They were out-gained almost 2-to-1 (467 yards to 241). They were 1-for-6 on third down (to San Francisco's 5-for-9), and they did not make a trip into the red zone (while the Niners went 4-for-5).
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What might be most alarming about the performance of Bill Belichick's club, though, was the play of its starting quarterback. Cam Newton looked lost, broken.
As we do every week, that's where we'll begin this edition of the Report Card.