The New England Patriots were dominating on the ground, but head coach Jerod Mayo and offensive coordinator Alex Van Pelt still let Jacoby Brissett throw the ball four times in a row inside the red zone with the game on the line against the Miami Dolphins in Week 5.
To the surprise of nobody, Brissett and a misfiring passing attack failed to deliver, condemning the Pats to a 15-10 defeat to their AFC East rivals at Gillette Stadium on Sunday, October 6.
Surprisingly, Mayo admitted “the #Patriots considered running the ball before calling 4 straight passes at the 12-yard line with less than 2 minutes left,” according to Andrew Callahan of the Boston Herald.
The head coach revealed, “That was definitely part of the discussion.”
Callahan including a post with Mayo saying “I know for a fact fatigue played a part in this game” is telling. It suggests the coach is implying the Patriots were too tired to run the ball when it mattered most.
That’s a worrying implication on a number of levels. Not least because Callahan also noted the Patriots set “a franchise record,” with 7.9 yards per rush against the Dolphins. The Pats had time to add to that mark thanks to having all three timeouts 12 yards out, per Callahan’s colleague Doug Kyed.
Going away from what was working and ignoring their resources to manage the clock makes it look as though Mayo and his staff panicked under pressure. Or else they tried to be too clever in a clutch moment.
Either way, the decision to put the game on Brissett’s throwing shoulder proved fatal.
Patriots Wasted Dominant Rushing Attack
Even though leading rusher Rhamondre Stevenson was on the sideline dealing with a leg injury, the Patriots still had what they needed to continue gashing the Dolphins on the ground. Fellow running back Antonio Gibson was also finding joy by averaging 8.7 yards on six carries.
Gibson had been expected to carry the load after Stevenson was demoted following too many fumbles. Instead, Mayo and Van Pelt adopted a committee approach that saw Stevenson carry the ball 12 times after Gibson had taken the first handoff.
Stevenson justified still getting the lion’s share of carries by rumbling for this 33-yard touchdown.
Miami’s defense had no answers no matter who carried the ball for the Patriots. Keeping the ball on the deck was how Mayo’s team could’ve snapped a three-game losing skid.
Trusting Brissett to pick his spots in a congested area of the field and behind a faltering offensive line was never likely to succeed.
Jerod Mayo Made Key Mistake vs. Dolphins
Going to your best players and plays in key moments is how teams win close games. Rookie head coach Mayo lacks experience making those big-picture calls.
He’s has taken a giant step up from inside linebackers coach to the top job. The increased pressure is starting to show on the 38-year-old, who was frank about how he needs to improve.
Mayo said “there are definitely things I have to do better as a head coach,” per Alex Barth of 98.5 The Sports Hub.
One of those things should be staying cool in pressure moments. Cool enough to be aware there was enough time to still run the ball.
Letting Brissett, who hasn’t thrown for more than 168 yards in a game this season, air it out four-straight times looked like an act of desperation. The strategy also meant Mayo and his assistants failed to acknowledge how well Miami’s defense was pressuring Brissett. The Dolphins sacked him twice and laid nine more hits on the besieged signal-caller, according to ESPN.
Trusting a game-winning sequence to a battered quarterback getting below-par protection and trying to execute a limited passing scheme made no sense. It was a gamble Mayo and Van Pelt didn’t need to take.
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