Another Patriots loss raises the question: How long can they wait for Drake Maye?

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. (AP) — The clock is ticking for Drake Maye.

After another lackluster performance by Jacoby Brissett and the Patriots' offense — this one a 15-10 loss to the Miami Dolphins — coach Jerod Mayo took nothing off the table when looking for answers.

“Every single week, or I should say every single day, we’re all being evaluated,” Mayo told reporters on Monday, a day after New England (1-4) managed just two sustained drives against another of the worst teams in the NFL. “And it’s no different now.”

Brissett was 18 of 34 for 160 yards in the Patriots’ fourth straight loss. He has yet to throw for more than 150 yards in a game — though, in fairness, he is often running for his life.

Backing him up is Maye, the No. 3 overall pick in the draft. He came in for mop-up duty in the Week 3 loss to the New York Jets and completed 4 of 8 passes for 22 yards.

The first pick, Chicago’s Caleb Williams, just had his second 300-yard passing day. The second pick, Jayden Daniels, has led Washington to four straight wins.

Asked if the coaches would discuss a change at quarterback, Mayo said: “We’re in a solution-driven business, and we aren’t playing good football.

“We have to look at every single unit and every single player,” he said, “and figure out how we use this roster to go out there and win games.”

The defense continues to keep the Patriots in games, allowing just 15 points on Sunday and an average of 20.4 per game, which is ninth best in the NFL. After sitting out the first series as punishment for fumbling four times in the first four games, Rhamondre Stevenson broke free for a 33-yard touchdown run in the first quarter and — more importantly — did not fumble.

Poor clock management put the Patriots in bad situations at the end of both halves.

Taking over at their own 5 with 1:50 left in the second quarter, the Patriots burned less than a minute off the clock to give the ball back to Miami with 55 seconds to go. Only a false start on what would have been a good field goal, and a bad snap on the retry, saved the Patriots from giving up points.

(The Patriots got the ball back and again failed to run out the clock, forcing them to punt with 16 seconds left. Again, though, it did not cost them.)

At the end of the game, the Patriots used their timeouts to get the ball back with one more chance for the go-ahead score. But when Brissett hit Hunter Henry at the Miami 11 he was tackled inbounds and the clock ran out before they could get to the line to spike the ball.

“Our execution throughout the season — at the end of the half and the end of the game — they just have to be better,” Mayo said. “That’s exactly what you saw at the end of the game where we ran out of time. Once again, it wasn’t the call. It was just that we didn’t execute the play call.”

After allowing 13 sacks in the previous two games, the offensive line gave up just two on Sunday — on back-to-back plays on New England’s first possession. Brissett did have to run around often, and he was hit nine times.

“I think they did a pretty good job,” Mayo said. “Obviously, there was pressure throughout the day, but there were also some pockets that seemed pretty clean. … But I did think they showed some fight yesterday.”

Joey Slye had been a strength of the team, kicking two field goals of more than 60 yards, including a franchise-record 63-yarder against San Francisco in Week 4. But he missed a 33-yard attempt — essentially an extra point — in the second quarter, leaving the Patriots with nothing to show from a drive that started when they recovered a fumble at the Miami 23.

There were no injuries from the game, but word emerged Monday that safety Jabrill Peppers had been arrested and charged with attacking his girlfriend. Police said cocaine also was found at the scene.

119.4 — The Patriots are averaging 119.4 net yards passing passing per game — the worst start for New England since 1982. Only eight other teams in the last two decades failed to average 120 yards per game passing over the first five games.

The Patriots host the Houston Texans on Sunday.

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New England Patriots running back Rhamondre Stevenson (38) hangs onto the ball after colliding with Miami Dolphins cornerback Kader Kohou (4) during the first half of an NFL football game, Sunday, Oct. 6, 2024, in Foxborough, Mass. (AP Photo/Steven Senne)

New England Patriots quarterback Jacoby Brissett walks off the field after a 15-10 loss to the Miami Dolphins after an NFL football game, Sunday, Oct. 6, 2024, in Foxborough, Mass. (AP Photo/Michael Dwyer)

New England Patriots quarterback Jacoby Brissett, center, sets to hand off the ball against the Miami Dolphins during the second half of an NFL football game, Sunday, Oct. 6, 2024, in Foxborough, Mass. (AP Photo/Michael Dwyer)

New England Patriots quarterback Jacoby Brissett (7) hands off to running back Rhamondre Stevenson during the first half of an NFL football game against the Miami Dolphins, Sunday, Oct. 6, 2024, in Foxborough, Mass. (AP Photo/Steven Senne)

Miami Dolphins defensive tackle Zach Sieler (92) brings down New England Patriots quarterback Jacoby Brissett (7) during the first half of an NFL football game, Sunday, Oct. 6, 2024, in Foxborough, Mass. (AP Photo/Steven Senne)

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are planning to relocate to the New Orleans area to prepare for Sunday’s game against the Saints with Hurricane Milton expected to make landfall along Florida’s west coast.

The Bucs intend to travel Tuesday and spend the rest of the week out of state instead of practicing as usual at the team’s training facility in Tampa.

Milton strengthened into a Category 5 hurricane over the Gulf of Mexico on Monday and could make landfall in the Tampa Bay area Wednesday.

The NHL’s Tampa Bay Lightning canceled Monday night’s scheduled preseason finale against the Nashville Predators. The game initially was rescheduled from Sept. 27 due to Hurricane Helene, which caused extensive damage in the region two weeks ago.

The Lightning open the regular season at Carolina on Friday. There was no immediate word on whether the team would evacuate to Raleigh, North Carolina, ahead of the storm.

The NBA’s Orlando Magic are on the road this week, playing at New Orleans on Monday night and at San Antonio on Wednesday.

College sports are being impacted, too, with UCF in Orlando announcing all home athletics events on Wednesday and Thursday have been canceled. That includes Wednesday’s volleyball match against Colorado, Thursday’s women’s soccer match against Arizona and the first day of the men’s tennis ITA Southeast Regionals on Thursday.

The school said Saturday's Big 12 home football game vs. Cincinnati is still scheduled for a 3:30 p.m. ET kickoff.

Coach Gus Malzahn said the Knights plan to practice Wednesday morning before the storm’s effects are expected to arrive in the Orlando area.

“We’re trying to stay in our routine as best we can,” Malzahn said. “We’ll adjust with it. We’ll have a plan no matter what happens. We’ve been talking through that. I think the main thing planning-wise is making sure our players are taken care of and all the people in our program.”

AP sports: https://apnews.com/sports

Workers outside Toucans Bar and Grill board up the restaurant Monday, Oct. 7, 2024, in Clearwater Beach, Fla., ahead of the possible arrival of Hurricane Milton. (AP Photo/Chris O'Meara)

Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Baker Mayfield (6) runs way from Atlanta Falcons cornerback Antonio Hamilton Sr. (33) during the second half of an NFL football game Thursday, Oct. 3, 2024, in Atlanta. (AP Photo/Butch Dill)