Jerod Mayo throws OC Alex Van Pelt under the bus for play-calling issues after Patriots' 30-17 loss to Cardinals
On Sunday, The New England Patriots' season continued to spiral, as they suffered a 30-17 loss to the Arizona Cardinals at State Farm Stadium. They dropped to 3-11 and are in sole possession of last place in the AFC East standings after the New York Jets beat the Jacksonville Jaguars 32-25.
Despite the scoreline teetering on blowout territory, it flatters New England. They trailed 23-3 early in the fourth quarter and only managed to move the ball downfield after the Cardinals took their foot off the gas. Their offense was uninspiring until the game was virtually out of reach.
The Patriots did embark on a good drive in the third quarter where they got the ball down to Arizona's four-yard line. They needed a yard to get in a 1st-and-goal situation but they ran it twice on 3rd-and-1 and 4th-and-1, came up short, and turned the ball over.
During the post-game press conference, head coach Jerod Mayo asked whether the team considered using quarterback Drake Maye's ability as a rusher to move the chains. He astonishingly suggested he wanted to and pinned the blame for not going down that route on offensive coordinator Alex Van Pelt, saying, "You said it. I didn't."
He seemingly realized how poorly his statement reflected on him and backtracked. He added, "It's always my decision. I would say the quarterback obviously has, you know, a good pair of legs."
Patriots owners slam offensive playcalling
Mayo may have claimed that he was responsible for the offensive playcalling to save face. However, he'd probably reconsider that decision if he knew what owners Robert and Jonathan Kraft thought about it.
The father-son duo were in attendance at State Farm Stadium and couldn't hide their frustration at the team's dire offensive display. After the Patriots called a run on 2nd-and-11 and lost five yards, Jonathan, unaware that the TV cameras were panned on him and his father, muttered, "The playcalling is terrible."
The Patriots' top brass is clearly unsatisfied with the team's performance and could potentially consider making some sweeping changes in the offseason if things don't improve in the last three games of the season.