It was clear from Jerod Mayo’s weekly appearance on The Greg Hill Show on Monday that he has one primary message for the team moving forward:
“We just have to be able to push the ball down the field.”
The Patriots head coach weaved this message into a majority of his answers throughout the 13 minute interview, and that shouldn’t come as a surprise to anyone who has watched this offense through two games this season.
In Week 1’s win in Cincinnati, Patriots starting quarterback Jacoby Brissett only managed 121 yards through the air on 15 completions. It was more of the same on Sunday, as Brissett was again held to 15 completions, this time for 149 yards.
That low mark wasn’t enough to get the job done in Week 2, as the Patriots lost in overtime on Sunday 23-20 to Seattle.
They now sit at 1-1 on the year heading into Thursday night’s Week 3 divisional matchup with the New York Jets (1-1) at MetLife Stadium.
“We have to hit those intermediate portions of the field,” said Mayo. “Which, right now, we’re not doing. The run game - those guys are really taking control of the line of scrimmage. But we have to be able to push the ball down the field.
“I’m not talking, you know, 70-yard bombs. But the 20-yard in-cuts and plays like that.”
When asked what the main reason behind the Patriots’ lack of passing game was, Mayo said it’s a combination of issues leading the team to a one dimensional offense.
“I think it’s a combination of multiple things,” said Mayo. “And, you know, our goal right now is to get it fixed.”
It’s clear that the Patriots offense has figured out something in the running game, rushing for 355 combined yards through two games this season (170 in Week 1, 185 in Week 2). With that said, Mayo told the morning show that this dominant rushing attack should open things up more for their passing game.
“You know, we have [bootlegs] in our game plan, we have play action in our game plan,” said Mayo. “And when you run the ball for 180 yards, like - I mean, we should have those intermediate opportunities. We’re just not taking advantage of it right now.”
Mayo went on to say that if the offense is able to get their wide receivers more involved early in the game, that will lead to better performances for that position group during crunch time. That would be a big change from what we saw on Sunday, where tight end Hunter Henry accounted for eight of Jacoby Brissett’s 15 completions - seven of which came in the first half alone.
“You’ve been around receivers,” Mayo said to former NFL tight end Jermaine Wiggins. “If you get them started early, then they’re gonna have a good game. If they don’t get any touches early, then [it’ll] probably be a bad game. But what I would say is it’s just a part of the script to try and get those young guys the ball.”
When asked by Wiggins if the coaching staff talks with Brissett about being more aggressive on the sidelines throughout the game, Mayo said, “We have those discussions on the sideline all the time.” He went on to say that there’s times throughout the game where the offense “could be more aggressive,” and that they will try to be better about doing so on Thursday against the Jets.
“I would say that we have a tough football team that can play good special teams, run the ball, stop the run,” said Mayo. “And when I look back on it, I mean - how we started the [interview], we just have to be able to push the ball down the field.
“We have guys on our team that can get open, and it’s our responsibility as coaches to push it down.”
We’ll see if this message through the media lands with Mayo’s team for Thursday, as they’ll be facing a pass defense in New York that has allowed 195.5 yards per game through the air.