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Patriots Take Huge Step Back in 30-17 Loss to Cardinals

Drake Maye and Christian Gonzalez remain beacons of hope for Patriots fans, but coaching questions intensify after another embarrassing loss.
Taylor KylesBy Updated:7 Mins Read

Securing a road win against the Cardinals was never going to be easy. Still, the Patriots had to stay competitive and show signs of growth coming off their bye week.

Instead, head coach Jerod Mayo’s squad has left fans and pundits with more questions than answers following an embarrassing 30-17 defeat.

“I kind of sound like a broken record standing up here being disappointed after a performance like that,” Mayo opened in his postgame presser. “We have to do better… It’s what we put on film. At the end of the day, we are what we put on film. We are what our record is.”

The head coach pointed to James Conner’s 53-yard run as one that skewed the final run defense stats, but Arizona ran the ball and will and got the necessary yardage to avoid 3rd & long. This largely contributed to Kyler Murray and company going 10-15 on 3rd downs and 3-4 in the Red Zone.

Regarding the offense’s issues, Mayo alluded to penalties and an inability to run when the defense knew it was coming as primary issues. While these criticisms were valid, he also commented oddly when asked about not running Maye in critical short-yardage situations, responding, “You said it, I didn’t.”

This continues a trend of Mayo exacerbating poor execution and questionable coaching with unnecessary and often irresponsible remarks. Different perspectives on a particular play call are one thing, and I’ve tried to give this inexperienced staff grave given their talent issues. But it’s things appear to be reaching a boiling point among New England’s top brass.

Having a team this unprepared, not accomplishing any of the goals you set out to following the bye, and then making more headline-grabbing statements only fuels the notion that Mayo could be on the hot seat in year one. This also applies to DeMarcus Covington, whose group, while short-handed, has woefully underperformed regardless of experience level.

Here are my immediate thoughts on what went wrong for the Patriots in Arizona and where to look for optimism in a lost season.

LINE PLAY HOLDS OFFENSE BACK

Offensive coordinator Alex Van Pelt, line coach Scott Peters, and quarterback Drake Maye have tried to mitigate their patchwork offensive line. Unfortunately, the group continues to hurt itself and kill drives.

Layden Robinson was called for a hold that turned an opening drive 3rd & 5 into 3rd & 15. The offense would go on to miss a field goal after two conservative calls in long yardage.

Vederian Lowe headlined the issues, being at least partially responsible for two sets of negative plays that helped end two possessions.

Both Lowe and Robinson also missed blocks on the consecutive run stuffs that led to a turnover on downs with a yard to gain at Arizona’s four-yard line.

Ben Brown has been solid in pass pro and decent as a run blocker of late, but he took a big step back on Sunday afternoon. He delivered two low snaps, including one that derailed a 3rd down dropback.

Demontrey Jacobs has been better in his past two games, but he missed a screen block that led to lost yardage before Brown’s second botched snap.

The Patriots’ final non-scoring drive was ended by a flukey interception that bounced off Kayshon Boutte’s hands, but it punctuated an ugly stretch of football from New England.

DRAKE MAYE AND PATS BACKS SPARK LATE TOUCHDOWN DRIVES

Offensive line woes kept the Patriots out of the end zone for three quarters, but things quickly changed when Van Pelt’s offense went up-tempo while down 20.

After taking what the Cardinals’ defense for most of the game, Maye turned up the intensity and went for the throat late. After pumping to create space for Boutte on a slant, Maye dropped one in the bucket to Kendrick Bourne on a 37-yard gain down the right sideline.

Once in the low Red Zone, the rookie drew attention from Douglas’ defender and punished the decision for a touchdown.

Maye then capped New England’s final drive with a seam throw to Austin Hooper that put the team back in scoring range before walking in for another score.

Maye wasn’t the only member of the backfield to provide a much-needed spark. Rhamondre Stevenson and Antonio Gibson ran well throughout the game, picking up multiple key conversions.

Rhamondre Stevenson started the game with a 16-yard reception and later broke a tackle in the backfield before plowing ahead for a 4th down conversion. He also ripped off two straight explosive gains on carries up the middle to start the 2nd half, and on New England’s first touchdown drive, Stevenson kept his balance against backfield penetration for another chunk of yards.

Antonio Gibson’s limited use remains a mystery, but he continues to create big plays with the opportunities he’s given. The running back threw a key block on Marcus Jones’ big reception, leading to the passing game’s first big play.

Gibson also made big plays with the ball in his hands, gaining 29 yards after bouncing a run on great blocks from Hunter Henry, Kendrick Bourne, and DeMario Douglas.

He followed that up with a positive carry behind Mike Onwenu and Ben Brown that set up 3rd & 1, but New England would turn the ball over on downs two plays later.

During the final scoring drive, Gibson bailed Maye out on an errant checkdown and broke three tackles for a 20-yard gain.

The Patriots have question marks at wide receiver and offensive line, but quarterback, running back, and tight end are three position groups the team should feel good about (and further support) moving forward.

DEFENSE COLLAPSES AFTER SOLID STRETCH

At this point in the season, expecting the Patriots’ defense to do more than bend but not break might be rich. And as we’ve seen in recent weeks, they didn’t live up to the last part of that mantra early on.

Keion White washed himself out on a run blitz, which was exacerbated by Jabrill Peppers and Kyle Dugger taking poor angles on Conner’s big run.

Later that drive, Anfernee Jennings showed great effort forcing a fumble after giving up the edge on a Greg Dortch carry, but Jonah Williams recovered for a Cardinals score.

The defense largely tightened up in the 2nd and 3rd quarters, thanks largely to Christian Gonzalez (more on that later). The only exception was a moment of poor recognition from Dell Pettus that set up an Arizona field goal before halftime.

But down the stretch, New England collapsed in uncharacteristic fashion. Jahlani Tavai failed to stop Conner on a 3rd & 3 in scoring territory, setting up a walk-in touchdown for the back three plays later. On the next drive, the defense gave up two 3rd down conversions before giving up another walk-in score to Conners.

One of the few saving graces for Mayo has been mostly strong finishes from his defense. This performance was a stark contrast to that track record, and it could be damning if the trend continues.

CHRISTIAN GONZALEZ BUILDS ON ALL-PRO CAMPAIGN

Christian Gonzalez has been an elite corner this season by every conceivable metric. Whether you’re looking at his stats or his tape, the sophomore has been a lockdown presence despite drawing the toughest assignments,

Gonzalez’s strong campaign continued today, with the corner holding stud rookie Marvin Harrison Jr. to one catch on dive targets. The one reception came on a pick play early on, but Gonzalez shut Harrison Jr. down on four go-ball targets.

The most impressive incompletion forced by the cornerback came just before halftime. Despite losing early in the route, Gonzalez showed his trademark poise to recover and punch the ball out on 3rd down.

On what was an ugly day for almost everyone on the Patriots’ defense, Gonzalez continues to show why he and Maye will be franchise pillars for years to come.

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Taylor Kyles is the lead NFL Analyst for CLNS Media covering players, schemes, and tendencies through a New England Patriots-centric lens.

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