The New England Patriots got off to a scorching hot start against the Buffalo Bills on Sunday at Highmark Stadium.
Up seven at the half, the Patriots showed what they are capable of and got off to an unexpected 14-0 lead over the Bills on their first two drives.
The Patriots apparently wanted to keep their foot on the gas and continue to bring it to the Bills when head coach Jerod Mayo called a fake punt on fourth-and-2 from deep within New England’s territory. Instead of snapping the ball to punter Bryce Baringer, long snapper Joe Cardona snapped the ball directly to Dell Pettus, who rushed up the middle for a first down.
Ironically, after getting the first down, Mayo elected to not go for it on fourth-and-1 from their own 34-yard line three plays later. These are the types of plays that Kayshon Boutte was hoping for during the Patriots’ loss to the Arizona Cardinals in Week 15.
Mayo is often grilled about the passive, questionable play calling that follows Patriots games week after week. More often than not, his answer is pretty much as unimaginative as the actual play calling on the field. Usually, he simply states that he did what he thought was the right decision for the team.
While there’s been public outcry for Mayo to lose his job at the end of the season, Robert and Jonathan Kraft are apparently leaving the door open before making a decision on the first-year coach’s chances of returning for a second year. Was the first half enough to save Mayo from public criticism, at least for one week?
