Patriots in control doesn't mean they control everything. In chess, for example, one side losing can become a forgone conclusion, but they still play their moves, and the winning side still has to close out the game to win.

The losing side may still take pieces, they may still get in a good-looking position, or they may only be able to play the moves the winning player creates for them as the only logical moves to make, but in the end both sides still have to play for the game to be won. If the winner gets sloppy, they could still lose. If the losing side plays poorly because they've lost or simply concede, they lose the chance to just maybe squeak out a win.