Scott Zolak called Patriots’ defeat against Dolphins the ‘worst loss since Tom Brady left’

"And there have been some bad ones."

Scott Zolak’s take on Sunday’s Patriots loss: The Patriots led for most of the Week 4 divisional duel with the Dolphins on Sunday, but ultimately came up short in a 15-10 loss.

The defeat, which sent New England to a 1-4 start, was a demoralizing one for fans, players, and even media. Given the collective lack of execution on offense, the 12 penalties, the inability to exploit multiple mistakes on the part of the Dolphins, and a lack of run-stopping, 98.5 “The Sports Hub” co-host and Patriots radio co-announcer Scott Zolak made a profound declaration after the final play on Sunday.

“This is the worst loss since Tom Brady left the Patriots, and there have been some bad ones,” said Zolak.

“Maybe you start looking at some tackles at the top of the draft next year,” he added, referencing the incessant need to improve the offensive line.

In the final moments of the game, the Patriots were unable to get to the line to run one more play. New England had no timeouts remaining, and the desperation drive downfield came up short of the end zone. Zolak called the sequence “stupid.”

Zolak, a former Patriots quarterback, has been a vocal proponent of switching the starting quarterback from veteran Jacoby Brissett to rookie first-round pick Drake Maye, having predicted that Patriots head coach Jerod Mayo would make the switch to Maye prior to the Dolphins game.

Yet after it did not happen, and New England again struggled to pass the ball (Brissett totaled 160 yards through the air) in a loss, Zolak’s prediction might end up coming true a week late.

Scores and schedules:

The Patriots lost to the Dolphins 15-10 on Sunday, falling to 1-4 on the season. New England will host the Texans in Week 6 at 1 p.m.

The Celtics finished a two-game preseason tour of Abu Dhabi on Sunday with a 130-104 win over the Nuggets. Boston returns for more preseason action this Saturday at TD Garden, facing the 76ers followed by a matchup with the Raptors on Sunday.

The Bruins are set to play the Panthers in the season-opener on Tuesday at 7 p.m. in Florida. As of now, Boston players are in Ft. Lauderdale, though the setting of the game could still be affected by the potential landfall in coming days of Hurricane Milton.

More from Boston.com:

• The Patriots were 12 yards from victory, so why stop running the ball? Plus, other final thoughts.

An iconic image: Preseason or not, this team photo from the Celtics’ preseason win in Abu Dhabi will be an enjoyable one for fans of the defending champions.

On this day: In 1984, the Padres defeated the Cubs 6-3 to win the NLCS and advance to the World Series.

Closer to home, a late interception from Raymond Clayborn preserved a narrow Patriots win over the Browns, 17-16.

Daily highlight: Lamar Jackson made one of the plays of the season on Sunday in what proved to eventually be an overtime win over the Bengals.