A third loss this year, this time to England at Twickenham, casts a dark cloud over the complexion of the All Blacks' season.
Three losses aren't terminal and would not spark widespread concerns for some rugby nations.
This is the All Blacks, though, a team that prides themselves on upholding a sustained legacy of success.
Scott Robertson built the backend of the All Blacks season on achieving New Zealand's fifth successful Grand Slam tour in history.
After victories against Ireland in Chicago and Scotland at Murrayfield, that quest came to a shuddering halt at Twickenham.
Robertson will now ring the changes and inject his wider squad for the All Blacks final Test of the season against Wales in Cardiff.
Liam Napier assesses where the All Blacks must improve if they are to regain ground on England and challenge the Springboks for the mantle of the world's best.
Attack:
Once the great entertainers of the world game, the All Blacks attack has declined to a stagnant state of familiar frustration.
At times the All Blacks are capable of producing magic moments such as their dynamic three try burst that blew Ireland away in the final quarter.
Those instances, though, largely stem from individual brilliance more so than carefully constructed patterns or plans.
The All Blacks scored two early tries against England by sucking in their defence to create space on the edge to strike.
After that, lateral ball movement combined with a lack of go forward penetration, deception or accurate kicking variations left the All Blacks too easy for the English defence to swarm.
For much of the England Test the All Blacks seemed bereft of attacking ideas. Not for the first time this year, either.
Only once in their last eight Tests - against the Wallabies at Eden Park - have the All Blacks scored 30 points or more.
With the plethora of weapons at their disposal the All Blacks should be creating far more from their attack.
High ball:
Simply not up to Test standard.
Caleb Clarke was the latest All Black to cite the changes to the high ball contest for their ongoing struggles under the high ball.
"They've taken away the protection," Clarke said this week in Cardiff. "In the past we've had the time and the space to get up and take the ball cleanly where now it's a competition.
"Looking at the English wingers they were trying to put out their hand and interrupt the catch. It's on us to get our hands high and catch the ball cleanly and getting back to those fundamentals."
That may be true but the high ball contest is the same for everyone and, at present, most teams are better at it than the All Blacks.
Clarke, to be fair, is one of the All Blacks' best aerial exponents.
To help refine his technique he visited the South Sydney Rabbitohs and hopes to spend time with an AFL club in future after Sydney Swans coach Dean Cox joined the All Blacks to offer his catching expertise before their match in Chicago.
Jordie Barrett's absence has hurt the All Blacks ability to cover the backfield with another big body in the air but they can't rely on one player to solve this problematic area.
Regaining Chiefs wing Emoni Narawa from injury next year - after he suffered a punctured lung against the Springboks - should help improve the All Blacks high ball defusal success.
But until they collectively develop the confidence to at least gain parity in this department the All Blacks will continue to be targeted by the aerial assault.
Third quarter fades:
Another consistent problem.
The All Blacks led 12-0 last week against England only to suffer a familiar fate.
In the highly competitive Test landscape it's rare for any team to control all the momentum.
The All Blacks, though, are consistently losing their way after half time which raises concerns over the messaging, leadership and direction of the team.
Two weeks ago the All Blacks blew their 17-0 point half time lead to need Damian McKenzie's late matching winning cameo to bail them out of jail at Murrayfield.
Last week at Twickenham they conceded 14 answered points after half time - a downward spiral that was again sparked by conceding a yellow card.
In 12 Tests this season, the All Blacks points differential in the third quarter is minus 64, having scored 28 points between minutes 41-60 and conceded 92.
Only twice this year - against France in Hamilton and Australia at Eden Park - have the All Blacks scored more points in the third quarter than their opponents.
Impact from the bench has also fluctuated from impressive against Ireland and Scotland to underwhelming in the loss to England.
Positions yet to solve:
Blindside, centre and right wing are positions the All Blacks are yet to nail down.
In his rookie Test season Simon Parker has been largely favoured at blindside flanker but he is yet to consistently convince on both sides of the ball.
Billy Proctor, after starting eight Tests at centre this season, is yet to replicate his impact for the Hurricanes in Super Rugby to open the door open for Leicester Fainga'anuku and Quinn Tupaea after Rieko Ioane's shift to the wing.
Leroy Carter started the last six Tests on the wing but after initially impressing in successive outings against the Wallabies, his form has faded on this northern venture to leave the search for the right edge finisher wide open again.
Who has the most to gain against Wales?
The context of any potential breakout performance must be tempered by Welsh rugby's slide to 12th in the world rankings. Last week Wales scraped past Japan to notch their first home win in 11 attempts.
That said, many All Blacks lacking game time are itching for an opportunity to stake their respective claims.
Ruben Love sits near top of that list. The talented playmaker hasn't featured in six week since emerging off the bench for a brief stint in the All Blacks second Bledisloe Cup win in Perth.
Before that it was another fleeting appearance on the wing in the horror loss to the Springboks in Wellington - and one previous start at fullback against France in July.
Regardless of the quality of opposition, Love desperately needs another extended opportunity to gain experience of playing on the big stage.
After finishing last year as the first choice loosehead prop Tamaiti Williams has largely emerged off the bench this season so he will relish a rare starting chance to impress.
Likewise, Wallace Sititi from his preferred No 8 role.
Whether he starts or emerges from the bench Ioane will also be intent on leaving a lasting impression before departing for six months with Irish club Leinster after falling out of favour in the second half of this year.