The Patriots’ decision to bench veteran quarterback Jacoby Brissett for rookie Drake Maye didn’t result in success on Sunday, but it did make the final third of the season much more entertaining.

Jerod Mayo’s team is 1-5 entering a stretch that features at least a handful of winnable games. So, will the Patriots be buyers or sellers at the trade deadline? What’s wrong with the run defense? Who will protect Maye’s blindside?

We’ll answer those questions and more in this week’s mailbag.

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@tbspin
Hi Doug: can you shed any insight on if patriots will be buyers at the trade deadline?

I would not expect the Patriots to be buyers at the Nov. 5 trade deadline. Most players available at the trade deadline are mostly older one-year rentals, and there’s really no point in the 1-5 Patriots to acquire those players.

But the Patriots are in need of talented players. So, if a player becomes available who could be a long-term solution for the Patriots, then they would consider it, according to a source.

I think ultimately it’s more likely that the Patriots will be sellers at the trade deadline. One name that’s already been involved in trade rumors is wide receiver Kendrick Bourne, though the Patriots just signed him to an extension this summer and head coach Jerod Mayo recently called him one of the team’s best three wide receivers.

Cornerback Jonathan Jones, defensive ends Joshua Uche and Deatrich Wise, wide receiver K.J. Osborn and tight end Austin Hooper are among the veteran players who are in contract years.

@_NattyLightning
What’s wrong with the run defense? Giving up 167 ypg on the ground. Weak.

I would say injuries have not helped, but defensive tackle Davon Godchaux delivered this quote after Sunday’s loss:

“Last year, we lost big pieces too, and we still were a great defense. So, that’s really just an excuse if anybody says that. Next man up mentality, you get paid to do a job that you got to play at a high level that only a few people in America could do,” he said.

In Sunday’s loss, it was the big plays. The Patriots let up a 59-yard run to Joe Mixon and a 54-yarder to Dameon Pierce. And poor performances from one or two players can cause those types of big plays.

On the 59-yard play, linebacker Raekwon McMillan, who wouldn’t be playing if not for Ja’Whaun Bentley’s injury, tried to shoot the gap and wound up getting blocked out of the play, and defensive end Keion White was eliminated with a single block. Safety Jaylinn Hawkins took a bad angle, and Mixon was off to the races.

The 54-yarder was more about poor tackling, especially from defensive tackle Jaquelin Roy, who was signed off the practice squad two weeks ago. He didn’t use his arms to wrap up and tackle Pierce for some reason, and the Texans’ running back simply bounced off him. Safety Kyle Dugger also missed a tackle on the play.

Mixon also had a 20-yard run. Wise got eaten up by a double team, linebacker Jahlani Tavai got lost in traffic and Dugger and cornerback Jonathan Jones appeared to overpursue.

The Patriots’ run defense definitely misses players like Bentley, defensive tackle Christian Barmore and safety Jabrill Peppers. But when it comes down to basic fundamentals, there’s no excuse for backup players to be lacking.

@RemiNegreiros
If it’s top 5 in the draft, is it to trade down and accumulate picks or take another top 5 prospect?

The top priority should be draft a left tackle. So, if there’s a left tackle worthy of taking with their pick, then the Patriots should draft him. But if they would be reaching, then trading down and accumulating more draft capital is always smart.

But they can’t put themselves in a position where they miss out on a top tackle. They need protection for Maye.

@BostonDumb
Nick Leverett … do the Patriots know what they are doing?

There’s a lot not to like about the Patriots this season, but two decisions they’ve made this season should be commended: 1. They benched Chukwuma Okorafor 12 snaps into Week 1. That helped them beat the Bengals, and Vederian Lowe has been better, when healthy, than Okorafor at left tackle. No. 2, they benched Leverett for Ben Brown in Week 6. The Patriots didn’t win, but Brown performed considerably better than Leverett.

The easy decision would have been to keep rolling with Leverett and not make the swift move to start Brown after he arrived Tuesday and participated in just two practices. But they trusted their instincts and started Brown, and it worked out. Cutting Leverett was just the next step.

I can understand criticizing how the Patriots have handled the tackle situation. They could have made different choices in the draft or free agency. But they had some terrible luck at center. They lost backup Jake Andrews during the spring and starter David Andrews in-season. And it took a week, but it looks like they’ve found a solid fill-in with Brown.

@ChefdDds89
If Lowe misses more time, who plays LT? And what is their best 5 right now?

That’s the million-dollar question. Zachary Thomas played left tackle after Lowe exited Week 6. The Patriots viewed Thomas as a guard when they claimed him off waivers from the Rams, however.

Unless the Patriots sign a player off of another team’s practice squad, their best course of action might be to move Demontrey Jacobs back to left tackle and insert Caleb Jones or Jalen McKenzie at right tackle. They could also move Jacobs to left tackle, Mike Onwenu from right guard to right tackle and start either Sidy Sow or Layden Robinson at right guard. Onwenu is best as a right guard, however.

The best five, not including Lowe, is probably Brown, Onwenu, Jacobs, Sow and Michael Jordan. But I’d be hesitant to move Onwenu back to right tackle unless it’s long-term.

The Patriots are fortunate they’re facing a weak defense like the Jaguars.

@drussell1621
Do you think we will see some designed runs for Maye sprinkled in?

Eventually, they could mix in some option looks. But it might be best to limit his rushing plays to scrambles right now to protect him from unnecessary hits.

@SoxPatsCsplswin
What are your thoughts on Marte Mapu so far? Can he be a hybrid safety/linebacker on this team for the foreseeable future?

Mapu hasn’t been perfect, he’s been solid and has taken a leap from last season despite missing training camp and the first four weeks of the season. He caused Marcus Jones’ interception by deflecting a throw from Texans QB C.J. Stroud in the end zone and was one of the Patriots’ top defenders overall on Sunday.