GLENDALE, Ariz. — It was déjà vu in the desert, as the same script played out again in a Patriots loss.
Drake Maye and Christian Gonzalez looked good, but little else did as New England fell to the Cardinals, 30-17. Coming off a bye week, Jerod Mayo’s team didn’t look ready to go, and were outplayed in all three phases of the game. Here are seven takeaways from State Farm Stadium:
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Offensive line an issue
It’s no secret the offensive line remains an Achilles Heel for the 2024 Patriots, and that played out once again on Sunday afternoon. Whether it was Vederian Lowe torpedoing a series by allowing a run stuff and sack on back-to-back plays, Ben Brown bouncing multiple shotgun snaps off his behind, or Layden Robinson getting flagged for holding (again), it was a mess for New England up front.
Because pass protection was so shaky, Maye didn’t throw a single ball beyond the sticks in the first half, and his average depth of target was 1.6 yards in the first two quarters, per PFF’s in-game charting. Offensive line woes are limiting New England’s entire playbook.
Defense simply not good enough
It’s been a disappointing season for DeMarcus Covington’s group and that continued against Arizona. Missed tackles were a major issue, and New England allowed Arizona to score on six of their first eight drives. They were leaky in run defense (163 yards), pass defense (232) and were terrible on third down (10-for-15, 67%). There’s been a major regression on that side of the ball this season and injuries are no longer a viable excuse.
Gonzo a silver lining
While most of the Patriots defense was porous, Gonzalez showed up. The No. 1 cornerback shadowed No. 4 overall pick Marvin Harrison Jr. for much of the afternoon and held up well. At the end of the second quarter, Gonzalez broke up a beautifully thrown ball in the end zone to keep Harrison off the scoreboard. The Cardinals settled for a field goal, so it was tangibly a four-point play from the young cornerback.
Then the same thing happened to open the third quarter. Facing a third down, Kyler Murray targeted Harrison on a fade route in the end zone, but Gonzalez was running in lockstep and broke the pass up. Again, the Cardinals settled for a field goal and Gonzalez wiped four more points off the board.
He’s playing at a very high level.
Brutal break
Trailing 16-3 in the third quarter, it looked like the Patriots finally had the spark they needed to get back into the ballgame. Murray was flushed from the pocket and made an ill-advised throw, shotputting a football into the arms of Jonathan Jones. It looked like an interception that would have set the offense up at the Cardinals’ 18-yard line, but Anfernee Jennings was flagged for roughing the passer. As Murray approached the line of scrimmage, Jennings had already committed to a hit, then the quarterback ducked his head into a glancing blow. The penalty flag wiped the interception out, but it looked like there was nothing Jennings could do to prevent the contact.
Boutte hands one away
Kayshon Boutte handed the Cardinals an interception late in the third quarter.
With Budda Baker bearing down in coverage, Maye threw Boutte a low pass to keep him from getting smoked. The pass hit both of Boutte’s hands, the wideout lost his grip on the ball, and flipped it right into the arms of cornerback Sean Murphy-Bunting. The Cardinals scored on the ensuing drive and the game was essentially over.
Another miss from Slye
Joey Slye (1-for-2) missed a field goal for the third week in a row, pushing a 53-yard field goal wide left on the opening drive of the game. New England signed another kicker, John Parker Romo, to the practice squad last week, so it’ll be interesting to see if that competition heats up this week. Some fans at State Farm Stadium were treated to a free bag of Tostitos because of a promotion surrounding Slye’s miss.
Maye flashes potential
Every time the Patriots take the field, there’s at least one drive from Maye that should excite fans for the future.
Sunday’s came in the fourth quarter. With the Patriots desperately needing a quick score, Maye lofted a perfect deep ball to Kendrick Bourne down the right sideline for a 37-yard gain. Then in the red zone, Maye fled the pocket to his left, baited a defender into pursuit, and flipped a touchdown pass to Pop Douglas before crossing the line of scrimmage. It was Josh-Allen-eque.
