Coaching holds Patriots back (again) in loss to Rams
FOXBORO — Every time the Patriots coaching staff seems to be taking a step forward, they stumble backward again.
Sunday’s game against the Los Angeles Rams presented arguably the toughest coaching challenge of the season to date for Jerod Mayo his assistants. They needed to be impeccable for the Patriots to pull off a win. In the end, they and the players did enough to be competitive in the fourth quarter, but in terms of actually winning, they came up disappointingly short.
And it was early in the game when the signs appeared that the Patriots may not be up to task against Sean McVay and the Rams. Facing fourth down from the L.A. 37-yard line, Mayo opted to punt instead of trying a 54-yard field goal. Bryce Baringer’s kick tumbled through the end zone for a touchback, and the Rams responded with an 80-yard touchdown drive to tie the game 7-7.
The Patriots never led again. And they never felt in control from that point on. But Mayo, curiously, would disagree with that sentiment.
“I never really felt like [the Rams] had control of the game. I felt like we had control of the game,” Mayo said. “You look at the first half, I think we only had one three-and-out. Offensively I thought they did a great job on first and second down, which was one of the targets we talked about. Defensively, not so much. Defensively they only had, what, eight third downs in the game, and you just can’t win that way.
“When you look at the time of possession, you look at the movement we were able to get offensively in the run game and in the pass game, you look at the time of possession, that’s part of the formula. We’ve just got to continue to build on it.”
The Pats did have their best time of possession (37:20) since Week 16 of the 2019 season (h/t Alex Barth), but two big reasons for that: Maye fumbling at his own 20-yard line to give the Rams a short field for a touchdown, and a 69-yard score on the second play of the third quarter. Turnovers and coverage breakdowns have a way of rendering time of possession meaningless.
Mayo acknowledged that the wind and kicker Joey Slye’s shaky warmups factored into their decision to punt instead of trying a field goal. But clearly, the Patriots weren’t ready to execute the particular plan that ensued at a high level. That’s on the coaches.
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Later in the game, the Patriots faced fourth-and-2 from the Rams’ 7-yard line down 21-10, and opted to kick a field goal instead of going for it. Mayo explained that the Patriots wanted to make it a one-score game at that point, and their lack of success in the run game prior to that play made them hesitant to try again. A reasonable-enough in-game adjustment, but a situation worth spotlighting, as the Patriots made a number of conservative decisions, which can raise eyebrows when they’re losing and struggling to get stops on defense.
Speaking of that … the Patriots struggled mightily to contain the Rams’ dynamic receiver duo, Cooper Kupp (six catches, 106 yards, two touchdowns) and Puka Nacua (seven catches, 123 yards, one touchdown). Seems like a job for Christian Gonzalez, right? Well, apparently not. Gonzalez covered the perimeter for most of the game, as Kupp and Nacua carved the Patriots up inside, and the coaches never adjusted.
“The coaches came in, told me what the gameplan was,” Gonzalez said after the game, when asked if he was “surprised” that he wasn’t covering Kupp or Nacua. “I never look at it as surprised or upset or anything. I’m doing what they want me to do. Whatever they tell me to do, I’m gonna go out there and do my best to do it.”
That gameplan, and their inability to modify it in-game, arguably cost the Patriots the whole thing on Sunday. Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford torched the Patriots for 10.9 yards per pass attempt and four touchdowns, and often looked quite comfortable, since there was virtually no pressure (no sacks, four hits) and he had his two best receivers running free much of the time.
“Do we need to get better? Absolutely, and that’s my job as the head coach of this football team,” Mayo said. “It starts with me. I have to do better. We have to demand more from our assistant coaches. We’re going to demand more from our players. We have enough talent in our locker room to be a very good football team, we’ve just got to be able to put it together.”
Mayo clearly has a relatively hands-off approach as a head coach, empowering his coordinators and assistants to do their job while avoiding excessive oversight or control. But there are times during an NFL season where the head coach should be more hands-on, demand better from the other coaches, keep a closer eye on the plan. He hasn’t done enough of that this season. Perhaps he comes out of this game wishing he did.
Because the plan wasn’t good enough, and neither was the execution. That falls at Mayo’s feet.
Matt Dolloff is a writer and digital content producer for 98.5 The Sports Hub. Read all of his articles here.
