The Patriots have been adept at masking most of their issues this s

eason.After a 1-2 start by New England that seemed to offer at least a sliver of opportunity for someone to end its streak of nine straight AFC East titles Dante Fowler Jr Jersey Salute to Service , it hushed those rumblings by running off six straight victories.But recent injuries, mounting issues on the offensive line and mistakes on defense returned during a 34-10 loss at Tennessee on Sunday.It left coach Bill Belichick with a refrain he repeated both after the game and again Monday when asked for his assessment."None of it was good enough," he said.It's also brought back a small cloud of uncertainty about the prospects of a team that now enters its bye week facing the task of playing catch-up to a 9-1 Kansas City Chiefs team for home-field advantage in the AFC playoffs."You better learn from a game like this, because the weeks get harder and harder," receiver Julian Edelman said following Sunday's loss. "We've got to fix it because this is when you start separating or you start falling behind."Tom Brady put together an MVP season in 2017 despite losing Edelman to a preseason knee injury. He was able to do it largely because of the strong seasons from tight end Rob Gronkowski, running back Dion Lewis and receiver Brandin Cooks.And despite a slow start, the defense was strong down the stretch, ending the regular season allowing just 18.5 points per game.Fast-forward to 2018 and so much has changed following roster changes in the offseason.Lewis signed with the Titans in free agency, creating a hole at running back that the Patriots have had trouble plugging. Cooks was traded and Brady has yet to develop consistent chemistry with a revamped group of receivers that has also had injuries.As a result, Brady spent a good portion his 300th career NFL game Sunday under increasing pressure. He was sacked three times and hurried a total of six times by the Titans. He's only been sacked 16 times this season, but he's working harder in the pocket.Brady already has seven interceptions in 2018, one fewer than he had in all of 2017. They haven't all been the result of pressure from the defense. But he's had more overthrows working behind an increasingly injury-battered line that may be missing the leadership of free agency departure Nate Solder at left tackle.Trent Brown, who the Patriots acquired to fill Solder's spot Authentic Cory Littleton Jersey , has started all 10 games and been solid. But he's now part of a growing list of offensive linemen nursing injuries.Brown missed the final drive of the first half against the Titans because of illness. LaAdrian Waddle replaced him for that series, with Brown returning early in the third quarter. But Brown left again with an injured back.Even more concerning for the Patriots (7-3) was the sight of Edelman leaving with an ankle injury. Gronkowski, who sat out Sunday, has now missed two of the last three games with ankle and back injuries. His backup, Dwayne Allen, could also miss some time after injuring his knee against Tennessee.Brady tried to lean on Josh Gordon, who has shined in recent weeks since his trade from Cleveland. But Gordon had just four catches on 12 targets against the Titans.It added up to Brady being held without a touchdown pass for the second time in three weeks. His passer rating is down from 102.8 last season to 94.8 this season.Defensively there are concerns, too. After finding a groove in the second half of 2017, the Patriots haven't quite turned the same corner with linebacker coach Brian Flores calling plays following the departure of former defensive coordinator Matt Patricia. They are allowing 24 points and giving up 381 yards per game and continue to struggle with mobile quarterbacks.Brady said this upcoming bye week must feature a lot of self-assessment."I think the coaches will do a lot of self-scouting. I think we as players have to do the same thing," he said. "Hopefully we learn from it. All of these games are a little bit different. ... The ones that we're going to play will be a little bit different. Winning football takes a lot of things. It takes a lot of good performances from a lot of people. Losing football is the exact opposite."Winning in the NFL is hard. You can't just show up expecting to win."Random Ramsdom 8/22: For Los Angeles Rams, Easley does it, hopefully. Easley is back, but where is he? I Los Angeles Rams’ Official SiteIn a surprise experiment Limited Austin Blythe Jersey , the Rams have decided to give the recently activated Dominique Easley a shot at playing outside linebacker; citing that the less physical nature of playing outside might be beneficial to the oft-injured Easley. Perhaps it speaks to the current state of that edge opposite Samson Ebukam, that the Rams are still exploring their options going into their all-important third preseason game. Also of note, they recently entertained the idea of bringing in Junior Gallette to man the position. Ndamukong clowns the ‘Phins with a gut shot & starters get to play I Los Angeles TimesNdamukong Suh had a little fun at his ex-team’s expense, after watching Carolina running back Christian McCaffrey gash them for a 71-yard scamper, “right up the gut.” Of course, Suh would likely have been occupying “the gut” had the Dolphins retained his services. Also, it sounds like we’ll finally get to see the starters, albeit in limited action this Saturday as the Rams entertain the Houston Texans at the Coliseum. The Texans are expected to field all available starters as well. Barron back and looking for a Week 1 return I USA Today (Rams Wire)Mark Barron returned to practice following shoulder and Achilles injuries suffered last year. Most likely we won’t see Barron until the Rams week one clash with Oakland. Barron will be the team’s only returning starting linebacker, and will be looked to as a leader in that group in 2018.Gambling is a disease, and here are the Week 1 lines! I Bleacher ReportOf course, no Turf Showers are interested in the Week 1 lines, but just in case, here are the lines. Look like the Rams will open the season as 3 point favorites in the there Monday Night clash in Oakland Ethan Westbrooks Jersey , with the over/under set at 49.5. Note: The Rams won by 52 points last time they played the Raiders. Never forget. Tyrann Mathieu set to make his Texans debut against the Rams I USA Today (Texans Wire)This week, we’ll get our first glimpse of the “Honey Badger” Tyrann Mathieu as a Houston Texan, when the Texans travel to L.A. this Saturday. Of course, as a former NFC Wester, he’s already a familiar face, and one that will be nice to see less of, now that he’s in the AFC. The Rams top Bleacher Report’s Power Rankings I Bleacher Report The Rams are atop the Bleacher Report Power Rankings this week after a solid effort by their backups to hold off the Raiders backups last Saturday at the Coliseum. Some would call the offense vanilla, but after such a gutty victory, it should be obvious that the they are now superior to the Eagles, Vikings, and Patriots. Thank you B/R.