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The New England Patriots used the third-overall pick in the 2024 NFL draft to select Drake Maye, but still didn’t trust his arm talent enough to try a last-second Hail Mary pass and possibly turn defeat into victory against the Indianapolis Colts in Week 13.
Instead, head coach Jerod Mayo opted to have veteran kicker Joey Slye attempt a 68-yard field goal. Slye’s kick was just short, hardly a surprise since nobody in league history has ever made so a long an attempt, and the Patriots lost 25-24.
Sidelining Maye at midfield and denying him the chance to heave the ball into the end zone was a curious choice. Yet to his credit, the rookie isn’t unhappy about the call. At least not publicly.
Maye told reporters (starting at the 6:58 mark) after the game at Gillette Stadium on Sunday, December 1, “I think it’s up to the coaching. I’m here to support what Coach Mayo and the special teams guys and what Joey thinks. Whether it’s that or the hail Mary, you know, either one.”
That’s a diplomatic response from a young player already acting like the worthy leader of a rebuilding team. Maye’s response was also easier to decipher than Mayo’s confusing justification for choosing an improbable kick over taking a final deep shot.
Jerod Mayo’s Reasoning Leaves More Questions than Answers
Mayo fronted up about the field-goal decision. He explained, beginning at the 1:18 mark, how the call “was 100 percent me. Look, Slye was hitting it well in pregame, and I felt that was the best thing to do to help our team win the football game. Not sure what the numbers are on hail mary’s vs. the field goal, but that’s what I felt was right.”
Nobody could excuse Mayo of being indecisive, but his logic may be at fault. Specifically when history was against Slye and, as ESPN’s Bill Barnwell pointed out, “one (a Hail Mary) has happened a few times this season.”
The obvious point of reference for Barnwell’s comment is the successful last-second heave thrown by Jayden Daniels for the Washington Commanders against the Chicago Bears in Week 8. It worked when wide receiver Noah Brown snatched the ball in the end zone via a deflection.
Daniels was chosen one pick ahead of Maye in this year’s draft, and his successful Hail Mary provides a snapshot of the contrasting approaches the Commanders and Patriots have taken to their rookie quarterbacks.
Patriots Too Cautious With Drake Maye
Mayo made what he thought was the safer call, and his caution sums up how the Patriots have handled Maye. While the Commanders started Daniels immediately and trusted him to direct an offense rebuilt around his particular skills, the Pats sat Maye behind journeyman Jacoby Brissett for several weeks.
That decision looks short-sighted after the Patriots have become more dynamic moving the ball since Maye took the reins. What the precocious signal-caller needs is a coaching staff prepared to unleash his daring brand of football.
There will be some boom or bust moments, but Maye is set to redefine the careful strategies the Patriots have used for years and Mayo is still trying to lean on for security. The rookie head coach needs to face what he has at football’s most important position and construct more expansive supporting casts and game-plans for Maye.
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