If you look at the common themes from the New England Patriots' four losses this season, a lot of them showed up throughout their brutal 45-27 defeat to the Green Bay Packers in Sunday's Week 9 matchup at Gillette Stadium.

The Patriots turned the ball over four times, and their defense couldn't force the Packers into making any similar mistakes. Another bad start proved difficult to overcome. The opponent's top wide receivers dominated for large stretches of the game. Multiple Patriots players left the game due to injury.

Another consistent theme for the Patriots this year? They have not performed at a high level against quality opponents.

And that doesn't bode well for the rest of the Patriots' season because five of their eight remaining games are against teams with winning records, including the 6-2 Detroit Lions next week in Germany.

"This is the kind of game that makes you wonder what kind of team the Patriots really are," Phil Perry said on NBC Sports Boston's Postgame Live. "They've got a winning record. They're firmly in what is a very tightly packed AFC going into this game tonight.

"But then you look at it, and you come away from it, they're 2-4 this season against teams with winning records, and in those four losses they've given up an average of 30 points per game. That's not competitive enough for a team that has high hopes. 

"I know they're banged up. I know this might not be the roster that it will be in December if they get some players healthy, but hurt teams tend to stay hurt as the season wears on, and I've got real questions as to how competitive they truly will be by season's end."

One of the most disappointing aspects of Sunday's loss for the Patriots was how poorly their top players performed. Starting quarterback Drake Maye (three turnovers) and cornerback Christian Gonzalez (187 yards, TD allowed) played well below their standard.

"To amplify that, one of those losses (versus good teams) was against the Seattle Seahawks, and they allowed 13 points. They didn't allow a hell of a lot in that game. They were undone by their quarterback, which, unfortunately again today, was the case." Tom E. Curran said on Postgame Live. "And not only undone by their quarterback but also by their franchise cornerback, Christian Gonzalez.

"They were outscored 10-0 in the first quarter by the Chicago Bears. They were outscored 13-3 in the first half by the Miami Dolphins. Now they were outscored 17-0 out of the chute by the Packers today. This is a team that is showing up not ready to start the football game. They're not good enough to not be ready to start the football game, and it's a quality control issue.

"The communication breakdowns that seem to be going on, specifically between Marcus Jones and Christian Gonzalez. One guy, a Pro Bowl-level corner in, Marcus Jones as a slot, and the other one, an All-Pro level corner, what are we doing?" 

Here's a look at the six games the Patriots have played against teams that are above .500 in the standings.

Week 1: 13-10 loss at Seattle Seahawks

Week 2: 20-3 win vs. Pittsburgh Steelers

Week 3: 35-6 loss at Jacksonville Jaguars

Week 4: 29-26 win at Buffalo Bills

Week 7: 30-24 loss at Chicago Bears

Week 9: 45-27 loss vs. Green Bay Packers

Four losses in six games versus teams with winning records and a 2-3 record on the road (after going 8-0 on the road last regular season) doesn't exactly inspire a ton of confidence in this Patriots team's ability to make a run in the AFC.

The Patriots still have a good chance to make the playoffs. Despite the loss to the Packers, they'll still head into Week 10 as the No. 7 seed in the AFC playoff picture, just ahead of the Cleveland Browns, Baltimore Ravens and Las Vegas Raiders. Finishing ahead of those teams is far from a super challenging task.

But even if the Patriots do reach the postseason, it's hard to envision them defending their conference crown. This team just hasn't shown that it's capable of beating good opponents on a consistent basis. And there's not much in these performances that suggests this trend will reverse at any point.