It’s been as brutal a debut as possible for New England Patriots head coach Jerod Mayo, and the ongoing misery reached a new low when the Los Angeles Chargers snagged a 40-7 victory at Gillette Stadium on Saturday.
Mayo stood in the bleak New England temperature watching the Patriots endure their ugliest — and most lopsided — loss of the season. There were “Fire Mayo” chants hurdled from fans in attendance. Of course, the topic of discussion regarding Mayo’s job security returned yet again, to which the 38-year-old responded with honesty as the season enters its finale next Sunday.
“Look, I’m always under pressure and it’s been that way for a very long time — not just when I became the head coach of the Patriots,” Mayo told reporters Saturday, per team-provided video. “I’m OK and look, I’ll always do what’s best for the team.”
The Patriots have reached the point where outside the upcoming NFL draft, there’s not much left to play for. Reaching the playoffs breezed past New England earlier this month and while most of the attention this season has been directed at quarterback Drake Maye and the future, it’s been a wearisome campaign. Fans are frustrated, the team hasn’t shown any promising signs of improvement and outside of Maye’s rookie surge, there’s not a whole lot to look forward to as everything stands.
New England dropped to 3-13, meaning the Patriots can only tie last season’s four-win record. They’ll host the Buffalo Bills next Sunday, giving Mayo and the rest of New England one final chance at closing the year on a strong note.
That won’t change anything, obviously, but if Mayo or anyone else on the coaching staff does feel they’re on the hot seat, a response should be in the works. The Patriots held possession of the football for 6:40 in the first quarter while the Chargers dominated with possession for 23:20, which alone tells the story. New England spent most of the time punting right into Los Angeles’ hands, got run off its home turf, and left fans discouraged for what’s ahead for Mayo and the franchise.
