As if the Patriots defense is raising flags as if it was actually their goal on Sunday, the phantom calls could be even worse. It has given the Texans multiple opportunities to extend their drive, especially on third down.

But New England’s offense has also fallen victim to baffling officiating, which doesn’t help their chances at all in Week 6.

The defensive pass interference on Marte Mapu on what was supposed to be a touchdown drive was pointless as Dalton Schultz wasn’t even the intended receiver and the safety was within the allotted five yards.

Then Vederian Lowe was marked as an ineligible man on the field when he was actually where he should have been on the offensive line, pushing Drake Maye and the offense further back on the rookie’s second drive.

It has resulted in the Patriots committing a total of six penalties in the first half with plenty of time remaining until the second quarter is over.

If they keep this up for the rest of the game, it’s a recipe for disaster. It’s clear they’re not getting any benefit of the doubt from the referees, and even if blaming the referees isn’t welcome, they don’t seem to be working fairly. The Patriots can’t make the situation worse by setting themselves back even further with avoidable mistakes.

UPDATE:

The Patriots just got their seventh penalty of the day on a great kick return from Marcus Jones, setting them back further for Maye’s third with five minutes left until halftime.

Last week they recorded 12 accepted penalties against the Dolphins and appear to be on track to match or exceed that against the Texans.

In addition to the fact that the referees are happy with the flag, the technical staff and the selection are also undisciplined and cause for concern. Many of these flags are avoidable, careless mistakes that never would have happened under Bill Belichick.

Something has to change and quickly because this is not the way to play football.

UPDATE:

The referees are happy with the flag, except when they should be.

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