The New England Patriots suffered another disappointing defeat on Sunday, falling 25-24 to the Indianapolis Colts after quarterback Anthony Richardson completed a two-point conversion in the final moments.
The loss drops the Patriots to 3-10 under head coach Jerod Mayo and marks their fourth defeat in five games, fueling speculation about the team’s direction and Mayo’s job security.
Despite the dismal record, reports suggest Mayo’s position is not immediately at risk.
According to Albert Breer of NBC Sports Boston, owner Robert Kraft remains committed to Mayo through the challenges of the team’s rebuild.
Breer emphasized that despite all of the criticism outside of the building, Mayo remains on “really solid ground” within the organization.
“I just get the feeling that they know where they are and that this is going to take a couple of offseasons to get through,” Breer said.
“There wasn’t anybody blind to the fact that the roster was not in a good spot coming out of 2023.”
While Mayo’s role appears secure, the same cannot be said for his staff, especially in light of the team’s offensive struggles.
The Patriots rank last in the league in total offense, averaging just 280 yards per game, including a league-worst 167.3 passing yards.
Even the ground game, at 112.8 yards per contest, has been average at best.
Meanwhile, the defense, once a hallmark of the franchise, is allowing 348.3 yards per game – 11th-most in the NFL.
Adding to the disappointment is the team’s inability to show progress in the absence of former head coach Bill Belichick.
A 4-13 finish, should it happen, would hardly inspire confidence. However, the emergence of rookie quarterback Drake Maye offers a glimmer of hope.
Maye has delivered promising performances in an otherwise dismal season and looks every bit the part of a true franchise quarterback.
Still, virtually everyone on the team is on-notice as we head down the final stretch of the season.
“A lot of aspects of the organization will be under evaluation over the next six weeks,” Breer added. While Mayo’s position seems secure, “the other question is how different will it look around him.”
This evaluation could be pivotal as the Patriots face the prospect of major changes in 2025.
Sunday’s loss exemplified the team’s season-long struggles. The Patriots watched Richardson orchestrate a marathon 19-play drive, capped by the game-winning conversion, highlighting New England’s inability to close out winnable games.
Without significant improvements in the final stretch, Mayo may enter 2025 with a substantially revamped coaching staff.
For now, the focus shifts to salvaging positives from a challenging season, even if those bright spots, like Maye’s growth, don’t immediately translate into victories.
Many fans in New England feel that Mayo is not the right answer at head coach – and that sticking with him would be like throwing years out the window.
Kraft made a promise to Mayo that he would be the one to succeed Belichick. He knows how bad he would look if he rips the band-aid off after only one season.
Having said that, Kraft will look even worse if they ride with Mayo for the next few years and yet still don’t get to where they need to go.
All of this begs the question: Are we really sure that Jerod Mayo is the right man for the job? … Wouldn’t the Patriots be better off ending the experiment now and hiring Mike Vrabel???
