Jerod Mayo Puts Blame on Patriots' Kicker for Controversial Week 11 Decision

Jerod Mayo's game management skills were once again under fire following Sunday's 28-22 loss to the Los Angeles Rams.

One particular criticism of Mayo's game management in Week 11 was the rookie head coach's decision to pass up on a long field goal attempt early in the second quarter. With the Patriots facing a fourth-and-13 from the Los Angeles 37-yard line, Mayo conservatively opted to trot out the punt team instead of sending Joey Slye out to attempt a 54-yard field goal. Slye hit from 63 yards out earlier in the season, and has converted three of his four attempts from 50+ this season.

After taking an intentional delay of game penalty, New England punter Bryce Baringer overhit his punt for a touchback. On the Rams' next play from scrimmage, Matthew Stafford connected with Puka Nacua for a 25-yard gain – immediately gaining the field position that they would have received had Slye missed his field goal. The Rams would punctuate that drive with a touchdown. Instead of a Patriots 10-0 lead, the game was leveled back up at 7-7.

Following the game, Mayo addressed the decision – alluding that Slye had struggled kicking in that direction during warmups and that those struggles could have fueled the coaching decision to send out the punt unit.

Slye himself also addressed the decision in his postgame availability, revealing that his input played a part in the decision and chalking the decision up to "situational football":

"That side of the field, definitely wind was in the face and it was kind of switching left to right and right to left. I hit a couple in pre-game, had the distance, but wasn’t hitting my ‘A’ ball really.

I knew that if I hit a good ball that way, I was fine … but it was just outside of the range we had talked about. I kind of give a plus or minus [a few yards] a couple times, but honestly just circumstances.

The coaches and I have talked about it — we have to play really good situational football. Try to pin them deep. It’s probably right on the edge of it."

- Joey Slye

When Mayo did trot out Slye, the veteran converted all three of his field goals – from 32 yards, 25 yards, and 42 yards. Following Vederian Lowe's big-man touchdown at the beginning of the fourth quarter, Slye's extra point attempt was blocked. Mayo's decision to kick the extra point down nine points – rather than go for two – was another second-guess of the head coach's game management against the Rams.

Slye's 32-yarder and 25-yarder were converted in the same field direction as the non-attempted 54-yarder.

Regardless of the rationale for passing up on a Slye field goal attempt, leaving points on the board in a one-possession game always leaves the door open for second guesses. Paired with Mayo's decision to kick a field goal on fourth-and-goal from the two-yard line down 11 in the third quarter, the rookie head coach has some decisions to defend following New England's eighth loss.

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