The Patriots played in a lifeless, half-empty stadium and forgot to show up for Saturday’s nationally televised game. They lost for the sixth time in a row, trailing 3-13. They were outscored by 428 in three quarters yards to 181 yards and held the ball for less than 20 minutes. They let the Chargers score on seven straight drives. Drake Maye made rookie mistakes and took unnecessary hits. Justin Herbert was unstoppable and played his best game of the season.

In short, it was the Patriots’ worst loss this year. Not just because of their poor play, but because of what it represented.

This was Mayo’s last chance to build momentum and show improvement for the 2024 season. To show that the 24-21 loss to Buffalo last week was no fluke.

And the last chance to simply play two good games in a row, something the Patriots remarkably haven’t been able to do all season. The win over the Jets was followed by a tough loss to the Titans. The win over the Bears was followed by a stinker against the Rams (and then five straight losses). And now the competitive loss to the Bills is followed by a miserable loss at home.

All that remains of the 2024 season is a meaningless home game next week against the Bills, with the Bills potentially resting several starters ahead of the playoffs. So the Chargers game was the Patriots’ only proof of 2024.

Not only did they fail, they reached a new low and embarrassed themselves on national television in an empty stadium.

▪ NFL Network has reported in the last few weeks that Mayo’s job is safe, but that usually comes with a caveat — as long as the Patriots don’t collapse in recent weeks. Well, Saturday’s loss counts as a collapse. Just like the embarrassing defeat in Arizona two weeks ago after the bye. In fact, last week’s Bills game was the anomaly, the only time the Patriots have played well in the last six games, all losses (three by multiple points).

The Krafts will likely keep Mayo for a second season. But Mayo hasn’t shown anything this year to prove he has the Patriots on the right track.

▪ Another baffling decision from Mayo: What else was Maye doing in the game in the fourth quarter when he made big shots and approached cautiously when the Patriots were down 37-7? Maye is pretty much the only thing the franchise has going for it right now, and in case Mayo forgot, Maye suffered a head shot in the first quarter on Saturday, forcing him to undergo concussion testing.

“Look, we’re trying to develop a quarterback and he wants to play,” Mayo said. “He’s a competitor. He went out there.”

Maye is a great competitor, and it’s admirable that he flew around Saturday, putting his body on the line like the Patriots were fighting for the Super Bowl, not No. 1. But the last thing the Patriots need is is that Maye suffers an unnecessary concussion or other injury this late in the season and they need to protect him from himself.

The last thing he should do is come into the game in a 30-point loss and take unnecessary shots. It was even more amazing to see Maye join the group with six minutes left. They’d better take him out of the game early next week against Buffalo, and Mayo should be fired immediately if Maye gets hurt.

▪ Boy, was the Patriots defense pathetic on Saturday. Herbert was nearly unstoppable, throwing three touchdowns for a season-best 281 yards and no sacks, while the Patriots barely got a hand in his face all day. The Patriots marched the Chargers down the field with touchdown drives of 91 and 94 yards. And they let the Chargers score on seven straight drives before the Chargers pulled Herbert from the game.

It’s likely that the Patriots will move on from offensive coordinator Alex Van Pelt after this season. Saturday’s game was a performance that could also cost defensive coordinator DeMarcus Covington his job.

▪ Maye continues to mix incredibly smart plays with some stunning ones. His best impression was on Aaron Rodgers in the second quarter, deftly throwing the ball up when he realized the Chargers had gone offside, giving the Patriots free reign. DeMario Douglas maneuvered the defenders to the ball and gave the Patriots a 36-yard touchdown that briefly kept them in the game.

However, Maye also had a 15-yard sack on fourth-and-3 in the third quarter, which can be considered a rookie mistake. Even though the Chargers had rushers unlocked, Maye needs to learn where his outlets are at this point, and there’s no way he can afford to run backwards 15 yards instead of throwing the ball up and giving his teammates a chance.

▪ Star cornerback Christian Gonzalez left the game with a concussion he suffered in the second quarter. Even if Gonzalez does well next week, the Patriots should sit him. Gonzalez has more than proven himself to be one of the best cornerbacks in the game this year, and a Week 18 game against the Bills means nothing. We shouldn’t see him again until the Pro Bowl Games in late January.

▪ If Mayo hadn’t said anything on the pregame radio show, it probably wouldn’t be a story that Rhamondre Stevenson was in the starting lineup Saturday, a week after he fumbled for the seventh time this season. But the fact that it happened less than an hour after Mayo hit 98.5 and specifically said Antonio Gibson would start is another bad sign for Mayo.

Didn’t Mayo properly tell Van Pelt that Gibson should start? Did Van Pelt ignore Mayo? Did Mayo change his mind or did the players not listen to the coach?

“It was just a coach’s decision,” Mayo said.

Whatever the reason, it was another sign that Mayo isn’t taking a very strict approach.

▪ Chargers rookie receiver Ladd McConkey, drafted with the Patriots’ 34th pick, rubbed salt in the wound with eight catches for 94 yards and two touchdowns. Patriots rookie receiver Ja’Lynn Polk, ranked 37th, has just 12 catches for 87 yards and two touchdowns all season. Polk, who was targeted just once on Saturday, has made just one catch in his last six games and looks like a complete bust.

▪ Saturday’s game offered a refresher on the arcane field goal rules. How many of us knew that all football had to clear the outside edge of the goal post until analyst Gene Steratore explained it at the end of the first half?

Officials called Cameron Dicker’s 38-yard kick good, but when multiple replay angles were inconclusive, there was no way to actually definitively see it in real time. The play was unreviewable, but it is unlikely that the instant replay referees would have found a conclusive opinion to overturn the on-field decision. Consider facing the Patriots this season as a different matter.

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Ben Volin can be reached at [email protected].