Drake Maye had just blown everyone’s minds.
Sitting at the Tennessee Titans five-yard line with four ticks left on the clock, with one do-or-die play left to get into the end zone, Maye took the snap. With no one immediately open, he ran around to avoid the rush and buy time for someone to find daylight.
He dipped and dodged, bobbed and weaved, scrambling right then left, and left then right for 11 remarkable seconds. He deftly kept the play alive before delivering the football as he was getting smoked.
That alone was magic. Even better was the fact that his heave fell into the hands of Rhamondre Stevenson in the end zone. Touchdown. It was a crazy good play, especially coming from a kid who spent all week in concussion protocol.
That made the score 17-16. Next came the decision. Kick or go for two?
Overtime or two-point conversion attempt to possibly win the game outright?
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There wasn’t much hesitation.
Jerod Mayo went the safe route. He sent out Joey Slye for the extra point.
The decision was understandable, but also debatable.
Why not go for the knockout? Why not show a little aggressiveness, and let Maye try and weave a bit more magic converting the two-point play?
The team was 2-6 heading in. It was going nowhere. The Patriots existence revolves around their rookie quarterback.
That was the spot to go for it. That was the spot to further cement Maye as the franchise quarterback of everyone’s dreams. Let the kid cook.
Instead, Mayo was happy to go to overtime, and try to carry the momentum from that miracle score into the extra session. It didn’t happen. The Patriots wound up losing, 20-17, to the Titans.
After that exhaustive 11-play drive, it’s reasonable to assume Maye and the offense was a bit gassed. But so was Tennessee. They had been chasing him all over, all game.
Why not strike while the iron’s hot, while Maye was proving why he’s going to be a superstar? Or, as Davon Godchaux said, while Maye was pulling his “Josh Allen 2.0″ act?
If he didn’t make that two-point conversion, and the team lost then, what’s the difference? Is the feeling much different?
If Maye managed to pull it out, pull another rabbit out of the hat, the Patriots would have turned into the most-watched 3-6 team in the league. Everyone from New England and beyond would have an eye on the Patriots.
Following the loss, Mayo was asked about his rationale, and if Maye and the offense being tired factored into the decision to kick the extra point and not go for two and the win.
“I don’t want to get into that,” Mayo answered. “It’s a good question. I just don’t want to get into it now.”
Interesting response. The usually transparent Mayo didn’t want to provide an explanation for the decision to kick the extra point.
To no surprise, Maye supported the decision. He pointed a finger at himself for the three turnovers (two picks, one fumble) he had committed in the game, most notably the one on the final play in overtime, where he heaved the ball up trying to connect with Kayshon Boutte.
Maye wasn’t about to second-guess Mayo or the coaching staff on the call to make the kick. That hasn’t been Maye’s style with any controversial situation. He said he didn’t tell Mayo to ‘Go for it,’ and try to make the conversion.
Instead, he made a joke about being spent after his amazing 11-second spin in and around the five-yard line.
“Shoot, I was just trying to catch my breath,” Maye said. “I couldn’t even think about it. I think just looking back on it, it’s easy to say. We were out there that long on such a high intensity drive. I think it’s hard to go for two. I don’t think it’s easy to look back and say that now. Our defensive was fresh, coming out in overtime, trying to get a stop.”
The defense bent in overtime, but ultimately didn’t break forcing a Nick Folk field goal. Maye, meanwhile, ran out of magic in OT, with Armani Hooker picking off Maye’s long ball in the middle of the field.
He would love a Mulligan on that throw.
“Just a dumb decision,” Maye said. “Something you’d like to have back, especially in that situation.”
A mulligan would have been nice at the end of regulation, too. We’ll never know if Maye could have pulled off the win, making that two-point conversion. It would have been something to see, just the attempt alone on the heels of that scoring play to Stevenson.
That, more than anything, is what was most disappointing about Sunday’s loss.
