New England Patriots: A look back at the final play vs Seattle

The last play of the game by the New England Patriots was a terrible play call that cost them an important road victory over a very good Seattle team.

The New England Patriots, after a dramatic comeback by the amazing captain Cam Newton, fell just short of a game-winning touchdown in Seattle last Sunday night. The reason for the miss on the last play of the game was simple, a lousy play call.

The play call cost them the game, period. Some even astute observers are tepidly glossing over the call since the play worked twice before in the contest. Fine, they are entitled to their opinions.

But go back and look at the play (which I have, multiple times) and the reasons it’s a lousy call are pretty obvious. Here they are:

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First, yes, the Patriots had used the play previously in that same game successfully twice. Maybe just maybe someone in the Seattle brain trust might ascertain that if the New England Patriots line up in a similar formation that was successful previously, they might just be trying to use that same play if they lined up that way again.

Likely, they would have. Seems to make good sense. They or their defense did just that. An easy stuff (aided by one or more missed blocks) ensued and the game was theirs.

Second, and most importantly, the reason why this play was the ultimate bad call was that there were no outlet options at all for the quarterback/ballcarrier, Cam Newton on the play. None that were evident to this observer, at least. None. Inexcusable.

In fact, the Patriots basically handed the game to the Seahawks on a golden platter with that call. It was one of the worst calls this writer has seen in some time, and the New England Patriots have made many, many with which to compare it. Draw plays on third and 15, plays like that. But this one takes the cake.

Why the New England Patriots play calling is at fault

As far as this observer could recognize, there we NO OPTIONS AVAILABLE to Newton on the play except to tuck the ball in and run. None. So much for chicanery.

It could easily have been broadcast over the loudspeaker at the empty stadium that Newton was going to run it again and probably to the left.

On a nice previous RPO play, Newton faked a handoff and threw a great little lob pass to Jacob Johnson for a very nice score. Astute play calling there. Very. Newton had options. He could handoff. He could run. he could draw in the defense and lob the gimme to Johnson. He exercised the last of the OPTIONS. Six points.

But on the last play, it was Cam Newton to run it in or nothing. No options whatsoever. No deception. Any kind of diversion with a man in motion, Johnson maybe, a wide guy or two to spread the defense out a bit and provide “options” to the quarterback, anything might just have opened something up. Nope. There were none.

This terrible call on the last chance play is what should irritate New England Patriots fans more than anything else about this game. This includes the awful performance of the defensive backfield, ostensibly the biggest strength of not only the defense but the team.

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They were shredded by Russell Wilson. They are tops no more. The top echelon is the quarterback again. This time his name is Cam Newton.

Nothing’s going to change the outcome of the game against Seattle. But New England Patriots fans should keep this in mind, if one game keeps the Patriots from a playoff berth, or a bye week (should they somehow get that far), this poor play call may just be singularly responsible.

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