The Patriots had an opportunity to defeat the Los Angeles Rams on Sunday.
New England got the ball back with 2:14 remaining in regulation, needing a touchdown and an extra point to take a late in what was a tightly contested game throughout. Drake Maye got things started with a nice completion to Kendrick Bourne, though a sack pushed the offense back into its own territory and necessitated some sort of chunk play.
Maye looked toward DeMario Douglas to get back on track, but miscommunication led to an interception and a win for LA.
Who was at fault?
Maye and Douglas each took a measure of blame for the play after the game, but Patriots offensive coordinator Alex Van Pelt provided a more definitive answer on Thursday.
“We were trying to put stress on the safety, so that’s a two-on-one ball on the safety,” Van Pelt explained, per Sophie Weller of A to Z Sports. “It’s something we talked about, just wanting to be on the same page with Pop as far as when that ball was going to come up. I think the read was right. I think if Pop looks a little bit earlier, he gets back and catches the ball.”
Maye made the right read — though if you watch the play, his throw might have been a bit off. Douglas clearly wanted to go for it all, which led to a game-ending interception. It’s a learning opportunity, at the very least, but one that you won’t want to see repeated.
“It’s just growing pains on our offense,” Van Pelt said. “The ball went to the right spot. I just think they weren’t on the same page.”
There you have it.
