Maye Tosses Two Touchdowns in 28-22 Loss to Rams
The New England Patriots dropped to 3-8 after an exciting Week 10 matchup with the Los Angeles Rams. Rookie quarterback Drake Maye turned in a 75% completion rate on 30 of 40 attempts for 282 yards, two touchdowns, an interception, and 27 yards on the ground on three tries. The game came down to a final drive on which Maye threw an interception, but for the first time in a while, Patriots fans had a reason to be confident in the situation, or at least I did. Let me tell you why.
The Patriots’ passing targets came alive for the first time, as receiver Kendrick Bourne finally added a performance that lives up to his potential, which is tremendous for a group spinning its wheels all season. Bourne caught all five targets that came his way, earning him 70 yards and a touchdown. Bourne beat man coverage in the red zone to score the nine-yard touchdown, something that receivers have not done since Julian Edelman was on the team. Second-year slot Demario Douglas also turned in a solid performance, contributing five catches on seven targets and 59 yards, and tight end Hunter Henry’s consistent efforts tallied six catches for 63 yards.
The more concerning story focuses on the defense, which could not hold up their end of the bargain. A poor decision to go into Cover Zero on second and nine on the other side of the field resulted in a 69-yard touchdown to Rams receiver Cooper Kupp. Kupp ended up in the endzone before the long touchdown on a red zone target that looked to happen because of a coverage bust, allowing the Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford to find his guy easily. A week after their best game plan of the year, Demarcus Covington struggled to guard another two-receiver dominant team with Kupp and Puka Nacua.
The Patriots coaching staff called a game reflective of their trust in their third overall pick at the helm. In addition to several penalties that were signs of an undisciplined team, the Patriots had some head-scratching calls on defense. Too often, they trusted that their offense could make explosive plays despite a solid day of play-callingordinator Alex Van Pelt. The Patriots have to answer many questions in free agency and the draft if they want toack contract, primarily at receiver and with the offensive line, by offensive co capitalize on a rookie quarterb but with some sneaky needs on the defense.