The New England Patriots had an opportunity for a Hail Mary pass in the final second of their 25-24 loss to the Indianapolis Colts. Instead, Jerod Mayo opted to go for a Hail Mary field-goal attempt with Joey Slye.
Slye went out for a 68-yard field goal attempt with a second to go, kicking an accurate ball that fell just short of the goal post. Even as the kick fell just short, there was still some criticism thrown Mayo's way for not putting the ball in Maye's hands to make a miracle play.
But the Patriots coach simply explained that he felt giving Slye the opportunity to make a record-setting kick gave the team a better chance to win the game than throwing a Hail Mary pass.
“That was 100% me,” Mayo told reporters, taking accountability for the decision. “Look, Slye was hitting it well in pregame, and I felt that that was the best thing to do to help our team win the football game. Not sure what the numbers are on Hail Marys versus the field goal there, but that's what I felt was right.”
In some fairness to Mayo, Hail Mary completions are typically a one-in-a-1,ooo play, far often ending up in incompletions or interceptions rather than touchdowns. Slye also made a 63-yard field goal earlier this season, showing that he has the leg to make a deep kick. Additionally, the wind was blowing at the Patriots' backs in the fourth quarter.
Still, the longest field goal made in NFL history was a 66-yarder by Justin Tucker, who needed a lucky bounce in an indoor environment to get the game-winning score. Additionally, Slye missed a 25-yard field goal earlier in the game that would leave many to question his standing on the team.
While Mayo trusted Slye to make the possible 68-yard field goal, he put the blame on the kicker for the missed 25-yard kick late in the first half.
“Just a miss-hit,” Mayo said. “Nothing with the operation. It was a miss-hit.”
What Jerod Mayo said of Patriots' decisions on Colts' game-winning drive
Prior to Slye's missed kick, Indianapolis went on a 19-play, 80-yard touchdown drive and converted the ensuing two-point try to take the lead with 12 seconds left. Early on in the drive, Will Mallory made a seven-yard catch that seemed questionable and preceded a fourth-down conversion for the Colts.
Mayo was asked why he didn't challenge that play.
“We were waiting to see the replay,” Mayo said. “Never really got a clear shot of it, so I didn't challenge it.”
As the Colts drove the ball down the field, Mayo opted not to call timeouts. That decision allowed the Colts to run the clock down to 12 seconds before getting the game-winning score, putting the Patriots in a near-impossible spot to win the game when they got the ball back.
Mayo cited an iconic Patriots play as part of the reason why he didn't call a timeout.
“Absolutely, there was a thought,” Mayo said on why he opted not to call timeouts when the clock was running on that drive. “We have also won a Super Bowl here doing it the other way. Keeping our time-outs is what I thought was best for the team.”
This time around, there was no Malcolm Butler to save the Patriots. Instead, they're 3-10 heading into the bye week.
