There is no doubt about it: that was the worst performance by the New England Patriots last Sunday in the Mike Vrabel era. An optimist would think you can only go up from there; a pessimist would tell you to trade Drake Maye.

A realist, however, would acknowledge these problems and try to find a way to build things back one play at a time, and hopefully that leads to one game at a time. Unfortunately, the Patriots have the Buffalo Bills in Week 4, on the road, at the Bills' new stadium, with Josh Allen already looking like the frontrunner for MVP.

The Patriots' chances of winning this one are low. Early predictions have them at a 27% chance of upsetting the 3-0 Bills. The team as a whole has very low stock value right now, so who do you see as key to stringing this team together going into Week 4, and who will need to find a way to survive in Buffalo?

Cornerback Christian Gonzalez has been the saving grace for the New England Patriots over the last three weeks. Gonzalez logged 52 defensive snaps against the Jacksonville Jaguars, accounting for 84% of the team's total.

There were no flashy stops by the Patriots star cornerback. The Jaguars did a great job spreading the ball around the field and keeping it away from the newly extended shutdown corner.

Gonzalez, like many starters, was pulled late in the game during the blowout loss on Sunday. He recorded two tackles and one pass defended. You could argue Sunday was his worst game, yet here he is, with a lot of stock on him ahead of the Bills matchup.

Gonzalez's partner in crime in the secondary, Carlton Davis III, made plays that slowed the Jaguars' offense, even if it was just for one play. Davis returned from a neck injury that kept him out of the previous week's game.

He disrupted a few pass plays in the first half, when the Patriots could have still made a case to win the game. He got banged up, left the game, and returned; however, a facemask penalty he was called on against Jakobi Meyers was another costly moment for the team last Sunday.

Davis got physical out there with eight total tackles, seven of which were solo. His presence on the field adds stability to a rather injured roster right now.

So far, what the Patriots have needed Will Campbell to do in 2026, he seems to be doing it. Coming off a rough postseason and an offseason devoted to getting healthy and better on the field, Campbell has delivered.

In both the Patriots' losses, he recorded a top-of-the-league PFF score. On Sunday alone, he earned a 90.9 pass-blocking grade. The flip side is that he still needs to improve on run blocking, as that remains at 62.0 after 63 snaps this week.

Campbell kept a clean sheet against a tough edge rush featuring Josh Hines-Allen and Travon Walker. He allowed zero sacks or quarterback hits over 39 snaps. Despite Drake Maye's struggle, Campbell still has his QB’s blindside.

The fumble, two interceptions, and lack of leadership are what put Drake Maye on the Stock Down list for the third week in a row. What hasn't been said about Maye's disastrous start to the 2026 season?

Maye was 14-for-25 for 199 yards. Twice he led the Patriots offense into the red zone, and neither time did they come away with any points (more on that in the next section). Maye has thrown only one touchdown pass in three games and has six interceptions in three games. That is two shy of what he had in the regular season in 2025.

The Patriots' third-year quarterback has received fair and unfair criticism since Sunday afternoon, and the question remains: how can he turn it around and at least make things competitive in Buffalo on Sunday?

Patriots kicker Andy Borregales has had rough patches in his short NFL career so far, but now he can't afford to be unreliable. In the preseason, he went 2-for-5 against the Indianapolis Colts. He seemed to have things on track until Week 2, when he missed a 45-yard field goal.

Against the Jaguars, the Patriots needed points badly on a botched drive on the Jacksonville side of the field. Borregales was sent out and missed a 38-yard field goal to get points on the board.

He is 5-for-7 this season. In the span of three weeks, that raises some questions. Head coach Mike Vrabel has made it clear in the past that if he needs to find himself a new kicker, he may consider it.

Mack Hollins made a lot of headlines last week over the debate about whether the Patriots did right by him by restructuring the bonuses he could earn in his contract. Hollins seemed motivated out there on Sunday, but in the end, things ran out of steam.

Maye has relied on Hollins many times and did so as the veteran wide receiver caught six passes for 87 yards. However, he failed to pull in a potential touchdown pass from Drake Maye on one drive. Late in the game, he was also flagged for a late-game taunting penalty that stalled a drive that felt like it was heading toward a touchdown, even though the game felt out of reach at the time.

Hollins may be a primary target on the field right now, but with an A.J. Brown return imminent, his targets may start to dwindle as the weeks go on, thus lowering his stock as we move further into the season.

Follow Tyler for more Patriots content

Check out the Patriots Roundtable Podcast and like and subscribe

Patriots Roundtable also offers a fan community and message board. We’d love to have you join us to talk all things Patriots. Click the “Join” button at the top of the page to join our community for free.