The Patriots dropped to 2-7 on the season after their 20-17 loss to the Washington Commanders. Mired by another slow start, the Patriots came from behind to take the lead in the second quarter but the defense could not hold it and the offense struggled once again.

The Patriots are to Germany on Thursday ahead of their game against the Colts in Frankfurt. Here are seven points from today’s loss.

1.Another slow start: The Patriots once again fell behind early and had to play from behind. It has been a common theme this season regardless of who the opponent is. The good news, they came from behind to take the lead but the defense could not hold it. Regardless, this team cannot continue to fall behind early if they want to win games.

2. Finally get some big plays: On the bright side, the offense did finally make some big plays, something that has been lost in this offense this season. Mac Jones hit JuJu Smith-Schuster on a 20 yard pass play and Rhamondre Stevenson scored on a 64 yard touchdown run. It is hard to win in football when you don’t make big plays. The Patriots finally made some big plays today albeit in a losing effort.

3. Defense bent more than you’d like: The defense did generate two turnovers but they also bent more than you would like. They gave up big plays and the lack of contain in certain situations proved to be costly as Washington converted a couple of third downs thanks to Sam Howell getting out of the pocket. The defense has kept the Patriots in games this season but they haven’t won them any either something this team needs.

4. Mac missed open receivers: Jones struggled once again with his accuracy in key situations. He missed a wide open Tyquan Thornton early in the game and also missed a couple of other throws during the course of the game. Unfortunately, Jones needs to be perfect if the Patriots are going to win . Fair or not, that is the reality of what this team is offensively. Not very good.

5. Lack of separation by receivers a problem: You saw what receivers who can separate look like in Washington’s and receivers who cannot in the Patriots receivers. The Patriots receivers and tight ends cannot separate especially on inside routes and that was a problem today. Unfortunately, this issue cannot be fixed now. The Patriots are going to finish this season with what they have. A limited skill group that lacks the burst to create separation and make plays in space.

6. Pass rush did not get to Howell enough: Howell completed 29-of-45 passes for 325 yards and a touchdown pass. Coming into the game, he was the most hit and most sacked quarterback in the league but you would not think that after today. He had plenty of time because the Patriots pass rush could not get to him on a consistent basis. The lack of a pass rush has been an issue all season long. Unfortunately for the Patriots, the lack of pressure proved to be costly once again.

7. JuJu takes responsibility for the late game drop: Credit to JuJu Smith Schuster who took credit for the drop that led to the game ending interception. In this day in age, players do not always own up to not making a play in a key situations. Smith-Schuster did and it says a lot about him as a player and as a person.