Ever move a couch up a flight of stairs with a friend, only to find yourself sure that you’re bearing 80% of the stupid thing’s weight?
That’s how most of the game looked between Patriots quarterback Drake Maye and his own defense against the Los Angeles Rams in Week 11. After the they made a late stand against Matthew Stafford ahead of the two-minute warning, their rookie finally dropped the proverbial sectional on their toes.
Yes, the defense gave Maye and the offense the opportunity to close a one-score game and be the heroes. Maye and Douglas were on completely different pages during the two-minute drill and Kamren Kinchens’ pick sealed New England’s fate. But that scenario can’t be isolated as the reason for the loss when New England’s defense let Matthew Stafford finish with as many touchdowns as hits they had on him (four). Star receivers Puka Nacua and Cooper Kupp finished with more than 100 yards a piece.
Both the defensive strategy and the execution were suspect.
Let’s first spend a little time on the good stuff. Maye continued to show improved field vision in the pocket and his intermediate passing game looked the strongest it has all season. In situations where he would have taken off with his legs just three weeks ago, he kept his eyes up and found tight ends Hunter Henry and Austin Hooper, as well as wide receiver DeMario Douglas. The game went on and he scrambled when necessary, but made a point of finding the boundary or diving to protect himself. He still suffered a costly strip sack and tried to thread the needle on some scary throws. He had the late pick. For this stage of his development as a rookie, we’re at the point where that may be the trade-off for his big play style. He bore the responsibility for the loss minutes after the game wrapped.
“Just can’t hurt our defense on the fumble on third down,” he said, and added, “I thought we did some good things, but at the end of the day, it wasn’t good enough.”
Demarcus Covington’s defense came out strong and, again, gave the offense a chance – but the middle of the game was far too soft and squishy.
Mayo and Covington appeared think it was best to stick with corner Christian Gonzalez playing the boundary after a similar game plan worked against Chicago. Unfortunately, rookie Dell Pettus and corner Marcus Jones were no match for L.A.’s high-end talent, and Gonzalez was rendered ornamental.
“I can’t really focus on the other wise if I gotta’ focus on the person in front of me, and just make the plays I gotta’ make,” Gonzalez said postgame.
There were bright spots on the defense. Keion White and Jon Jones both had critical pass breakups late in the game. But at that point, the Rams had a 75% success rate in the red zone and were averaging more than 8 yards per play. New England won the possession battle 37:20 to 22:40, and yet the defense let the talent and experience on the other side act quickly. They allowed four touchdowns over five drives.
The defense’s late wakeup created an opportunity, and it also put tremendous pressure on their rookie quarterback. He’s shown in the past he can execute with ice in veins in those situations, but he’s still turnover prone and woefully inexperienced. As he said after the loss, he’s worried about hurting the defense. That responsibility has to go both ways.