FOXBOROUGH – Patriots receivers were getting frustrated.
As Sunday’s game played out, drops became a big issue for the group. Kayshon Boutte had two. Kendrick Bourne had two. Tyquan Thornton let a perfectly placed pass hit his chest before falling to the turf.
Some of these dropped passes came in big moments. For example, Boutte’s first miscue came on a third-and-12 pass play. Instead of hauling in the first down, the ball hit the ground, and the Patriots punted.
As Boutte and his fellow receivers went back to the sideline, they were never belittled or reminded of their mistakes. Instead, Boutte and the group were encouraged by their coach, Jerod Mayo, and position coaches.
“He stayed motivating us,” Boutte said of Mayo. “It’s just a play we know we can make, so it’s about not getting down about it or get in our head because there’s a lot of football left, the ball’s going to come back to you, so you just got to catch it the next time.”
Before Sunday’s matchup with the New York Jets, players said their head coach was more energetic than usual. He was passionate during team meetings, worked them hard in three practices, and come game time, brought an even higher amount of positivity and energy to the Patriots sideline.
Despite the coach calling out the group for playing “soft” in London. Despite a lot of outside noise and drama, the Patriots first-year head coach kept his team afloat and confident.
That’s why when Boutte needed to step up and make the most important catch of the game, he wasn’t scared. That’s due to the message from his head coach – don’t think about a drop or messed up route. Instead, told his receivers to focus on “the next play.”
That mindset paid dividends when Boutte hauled in a 34-yard pass at the 9-yard line. That play set up Rhamondre Stevenson’s game-winning touchdown to lift the Patriots over the Jets. It was an outcome that seemed unlikely, especially after Drake Maye left the game with a concussion.
After the upset win, multiple players pointed to Mayo’s positivity, energy, and messaging as reasons why they were able to stay afloat during a tough week and on Sunday against a division rival.
“Shut out to coach Mayo, he comes with energy. He brought energy. Today, you could feel the energy,” DeMario Douglas said. “We brought more energy on the sideline. It all started to stack up and we played together.
“It starts off in the team meeting room. As soon as he comes in – energy. That’s where it starts – boom. Once our head coach has energy, our team is going to have it. Shutout to him throughout the highs and lows, he still has energy. It electrifies us.”
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No one would’ve been had the Patriots lost on Sunday.
Last week, they were blown out by a bad Jacksonville team. Then Mayo created headlines by calling his team “soft.” The first-year head coach was sending a message and challenging his players. From the outside, it looked like cracks in the foundation were showing. Mayo’s comments were criticized by former players, Bill Belichick, and the media both locally and nationally.
On top of that, the Patriots had drama within. Receiver K.J. Osborn revealed he’d like to be traded. Boutte said he wasn’t happy with his lack of targets. Kendrick Bourne noted that he felt players stayed out too late in London.
Inside Gillette Stadium, however, players said their head coach kept them focused. In true Belichick fashion, players ignored the noise.
“I feel like it was bigger for you guys in the media and the fan base, tight end Austin Hooper said. “At the end of the day, you’re throwing pads on Wednesday, had a really physical (practice) and followed it up by a couple of good practices on Thursday and Friday. Culminated today with a team victory.”
Along with the drama, the Patriots continued to lose key players to injuries. On Sunday, the team was without starting safety Kyle Dugger and starting defensive tackle Daniel Ekuale. Then at the beginning of the second quarter, Maye exited.
That all led to playing younger players and a decrease in odds for a Patriots victory.
As the game went on, players said they remained confident due to their head coach. On the sideline, Mayo stayed upbeat. When players went down, it was next man up. When receivers dropped passes, Mayo encouraged them to focus on what was next. Even when the Jets came back, players believed.
“That’s a testament to (Mayo) because he truly believes in each and every one of us,” Keion White said. “I feel like as a whole, we’re just learning what the new system is. Even Mayo, he’s a rookie coach. We have younger guys. We’re all learning together and growing. I feel like what you’re seeing is growing pains and we just have to build on what we did today.”
An example was what happened in the middle of the third quarter.
The Jets were on the 11-yard line faced with a second-and-1. That’s when Rodgers gave the ball to his dynamic running back Breece Hall. After the defense allowed 171 rushing yards the week before, this decision was a no-brainer.
However, before the snap, the Patriots defense saw a tell and had an idea of what the Jets wanted to do and where the running back wanted to go. That’s why, at 8:45 of the third quarter, Dell Pettus and Christian Elliss stuffed Hall for no gain. After Rodger’s third-down pass was deflected by Christian Gonzalez, the Jets settled for a field goal.
“That comes down to our preparation and being locked in,” Pettus said. “(Mayo) does a good job of telling the whole team to just be ready for your moment. Be ready for your opportunity. When we have coach Mayo, a guy as positive as that leading your team, it’s kind of hard not to be ready and hard to have doubt.”
That turned out to be a big moment in the Patriots comeback win. It was also big for Dell, an undrafted rookie free agent, who played more due to Dugger being out. Pettus had played sparingly before Sunday. After making the Patriots roster out of Troy University, the rookie safety credited his head coach with helping him this season.
“I think coach Mayo does a great job. Not just with the team, but with us young players,” Pettus said. “He reassures that all of us are here for a reason – no matter what our role is, when you’re going in, how often you’re going in. We know what we’re here for a reason. Coach Mayo has been great in that department. He’s been a great leader. Through everything, he’s been extremely positive. When you have a guy like that around the team, it’s very easy to have self believe in yourself and your team.”
The Patriots rebuild was never going to be easy. They planned to play young players to try and set a foundation for the future. With a youth movement, teams often encounter mistakes. We’ve seen plenty by the Patriots and their coaching staff in 2024. Mayo’s been part of that. He’ll need to grow and learn from his mistakes throughout this season.
Coming off a dynasty, where the head coach was anything but warm and fuzzy, Patriots owner Robert Kraft opted to go in a different direction when he hired Mayo. This season has been rough for the Patriots, but on Sunday, despite plenty of drama, Mayo’s messaging got through to his players.
“It’s definitely a different energy for us,” White said of Mayo. “A little more energetic, but he leads with a sense of belief. He believes in everybody. He believes in what you will do out there and tells us. That is big – especially for a lot of young guys who came up in a different system. It’s putting that belief in them so they believe in themselves.
“You can’t hang your head low. Sometimes you make mistakes. Sometimes you mess up. But if you dwell on that in the game you’ll never bounce back. The offense showed that today with a couple of dropped passes, but at the end, they locked in and won us the game.”
