The New England Patriots have a starting quarterback in Drake Maye who is listed at 6-foot-4 and 224 pounds, so why not call more designed runs for him, especially in important short-yardage situations?
It was puzzling to see the Patriots not take advantage of Maye's size and strength running the football during their 30-17 loss to the Arizona Cardinals in Sunday's Week 15 game at State Farm Stadium.
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There was one sequence in particular where Maye could have gained a crucial yard to keep a drive alive.
The Patriots trailed the Cardinals 16-3 with 5:46 left in the third quarter and faced a third-and-1 from Arizona's 4-yard line. Antonio Gibson ran up the middle for no gain on third down, and then Rhamondre Stevenson ran up the middle for no gain on fourth down. The turnover on downs gave the ball back to the Cardinals.
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wrapped him up like a 4th down present 🎁 pic.twitter.com/mYvruBF1A9
— Arizona Cardinals (@AZCardinals) December 15, 2024
It was a huge missed opportunity and essentially sealed the Patriots' fate. The Cardinals scored two more touchdowns after that, putting the game out of reach.
"It was disappointing," Patriots head coach Jerod Mayo said postgame when asked about those two short-yardage failures near the goal line. "I said this, probably the first week of the season, and that is there comes a point in time as a football team when everybody in the stadium knows what the play is, and we've just got to move bodies. We weren't able to do that."
Mayo also was asked by NBC Sports Boston's Phil Perry whether he considered running the ball with Maye in those key short-yardage situations, and his answer was both brief and bizarre.
"You said it, I didn't," Mayo replied.
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Whether it's a sneak or some other designed run, there's no question Maye is capable of picking up chunks of yards in those situations. Mayo was asked whether it was his decision or offensive coordinator Alex Van Pelt's decision not to run with Maye on those plays.
"It's always my decision," Mayo said. "The quarterback, obviously, has a good pair of legs and does a good job running the football, we just chose not to do it there."
Would Maye be comfortable doing a QB sneak in those third-and-1 and fourth-and-1 scenarios?
"Yeah, that's a good point. I was a good quarterback-sneaker in college," Maye said postgame. "I'm a big dude. I'm heavier than people think. So I think there's maybe a conversation for that. I think it's tough to stop a 6-foot-5 dude for one yard.
"But also at the same time, Rhamondre is pretty dang good at getting one yard as well. It's just unfortunate that it happened. But there's definitely a time and place for it."
Third down has been a problem for the Patriots offense all season, and not just short-yardage plays. The Patriots entered Week 15 ranked 25th in third down conversion rate at 35.4 percent, and that number will go down after an 0-for-6 showing on third downs against the Cardinals.
The Patriots have to switch things up on third down and short-yardage. They are way too predictable in these situations. Putting the ball in Maye's hands as a runner would be an adjustment worth trying over the final three games.
