The Patriots have been officially eliminated from the playoffs, but that doesn't mean the final month of action offers no opportunities for the team. There is still plenty to be learned, and with a rookie coach and quarterback each opportunity to grow should be treated as such.
Beyond finding a way to win some games down the stretch to help build a positive culture, there are some developments that could go a long way toward creating some good vibes heading into the offseason.
*The most obvious one would be for Drake Maye to experience more wins. The rookie quarterback has performed well in most of his starts, but the results haven't been there. Maye needs to protect the ball better and find ways to finish drives more consistently.
The 1993 Patriots team has been thrown around a lot as a comparison for the current group. That team featured Drew Bledsoe at quarterback, but despite the rookie's promise managed just a 1-11 mark heading into the final month. Bledsoe then helped the team rattle off four straight wins to close it out, including a tremendous performance in the finale when his overtime touchdown pass to Michael Timpson knocked Miami out of the playoffs. The strong finish propelled the team into the offseason and served as a springboard for a 10-6 wild card run in 1994.
If Maye can experience some success on the scoreboard over the final four games, it would go a long way toward lifting the team's spirits into the offseason.
*Getting some production from the rookie wideouts would be a welcome sight as well. Ja'Lynn Polk and Javon Baker have been slow to acclimate to the NFL to put it kindly. Polk has just 12 catches for 87 yards while Baker is still looking for his first career reception. Polk has received plenty of opportunities while Baker has been struggling in practice according to his coaches and hasn't gotten as many chances.
While neither has necessarily done anything to warrant more playing time, it would make sense if Jerod Mayo and the offensive coaching staff decided to make an effort to get one or both more involved down the stretch. The receiving corps is extremely young with the two rookies joining a pair of second-year players in DeMario Douglas and Kayshon Boutte alongside Kendrick Bourne, the lone veteran of the group.
The final month should offer a chance to learn as much about those four young receivers as possible as all figure to be part of the equation in 2025. Polk in particular enjoyed a solid training camp and showed some potential. Perhaps a solid game or two in December can restore his confidence and get him headed back in the right direction.
*Like Polk and Baker, Layden Robinson and Caedan Wallace have been slow to assimilate to the league. Robinson has seen more playing time as Wallace has been on injured reserve for more than two months with an ankle injury and Mayo said he's close to returning. Robinson started at left guard against the Colts, which was a positive development. Keeping him there and perhaps getting Wallace into the lineup at right tackle would add to that.
Also, Cole Strange has been practicing the last two weeks, taking reps at center, and he appears to be close to returning as well. A starting group of Vederian Lowe, Robinson, Strange, Mike Onwenu and Wallace would offer Mayo and offensive line coach Scott Peters a chance to evaluate if/how many potential starters would be needed up front in 2025.
*Another development I'd like to see moving forward is a more aggressive approach in the red zone, and one main way to help in that area would be calling for some designed runs for Maye. He showed the ability to execute zone reads during the summer, and his athleticism might make a difference between settling for three and finding the end zone.
Also, the play calling inside the 10 needs improvement. A case in point would be the final drive of the first half of the Colts game when back-to-back runs on first and second down from the 11 and 10 forced the Patriots to burn their final two timeouts with 27 seconds left. That set up a situation where a sack would force the field goal unit to rush into place with the clock running, which is never ideal. A sack indeed followed, but a holding penalty stopped the clock before Joey Slye missed from 25 yards out.
Maye should have been allowed to use at least one of the first two plays on throws into the end zone instead of the conservative approach that followed. It's a pattern that's unfolded in the red zone too often.
At 3-10 it can be easy to accept your fate and simply play out the string, but with Mayo and Maye learning together it's important to find out as many answers as possible heading into the offseason. Learning about the roster and how those pieces factor into the future should be the top goal for the stretch drive.
Lost opportunity
Looking back at the loss to the Colts there were many factors that led to the defeat. The Patriots converted on just 2 of 6 trips inside the red zone, allowed Indy to convert all three fourth downs on the final drive and Slye missed a 25-yard field goal, the shortest missed kick in the NFL this season.
But one sequence that didn't get as much attention came midway through the fourth quarter following Christian Gonzalez' terrific interception. The Patriots led 24-17 with a tick under eight minutes to go and had the ball near midfield at their 48. Rather than moving to build a two-score lead, the Patriots lost 3 yards on three plays and punted.
The offense enjoyed its most productive day of the season with 422 total yards but needing just a field goal to virtually salt the game away, the Patriots went conservative. Rhamondre Stevenson runs on first and second down created a third-and-11, and Maye was sacked to force the only punt of the game for Bryce Baringer.
Stevenson picked up just 2 yards on first down, yet the Patriots chose to keep it on the ground on second-and-8. Maye finished the game with just six incompletions and the odds seemed to be in his favor if the Patriots chose to go to the air. Instead, it appeared as if milking clock was the goal rather than moving the ball, and ultimately the Colts got one last possession and drove for the winning touchdown and ensuing two-point conversion with just 12 seconds left.
It was an example of how a few plays can greatly alter the outcome of a game, and the young Patriots haven't been able to make enough of them this season.
Tick, tick, tick
How many people watched the Bears allow the clock to run out on Thanksgiving and thought Matt Eberflus had coached his last game for Chicago? The thought certainly was on my mind as Caleb Williams picked himself up after being sacked with 33 seconds left and the Bears still in possession of a timeout trailing by three at Detroit's 41.
Instead of using the timeout, Eberflus watched the Bears struggle to get lined up as the clock melted away. Williams finally took the snap with just six ticks left, then launched a deep ball to Rome Odunze at the Lions 5, which caused the remainder of the time to disappear. A day later, Eberflus was fired.
Chicago faced a third-and-26 but needed only 5 yards or so to set up a potential tying field goal. Calling timeout with 30-plus seconds left would have given Williams some time to regroup and Eberflus the opportunity to determine the best course to pick up that yardage. Then, even if the clock was running, the Bears would have had ample time to get the field goal unit in place to try for the tie.
Somehow Eberflus insisted he liked the play call and the way his offense handled the chaotic final seconds. I'm never one to relish people losing jobs, but that was coaching malpractice for certain.
Week 13 takeaways
Thinking back to the beginning of the season when there was debate about whether or not to start Drake Maye, one of the prevailing thoughts in support of waiting was making sure he was ready. The thought was it would be tough to bench the rookie if things didn't go well, so waiting made more sense.
Two teams decided to bench their young quarterbacks and both have been better since returning. Carolina gave Bryce Young a rest in September after a slow start to his second season and the 2023 No. 1 overall pick has been much better since returning. He led the Panthers to consecutive wins and had the team in position to win the last two weeks only to lose on last-second field goals to Kansas City and Tampa Bay. Young completed 26 of 46 for 298 yards and the go-ahead touchdown with 30 seconds left, only to watch the Bucs force overtime and then win after a Chuba Hubbard fumble Sunday evening.
Indy also sat Anthony Richardson, and while his results haven't been great the Colts have gone 2-1 since his return, and he has shown slight improvement. Richardson had a monster game in the 28-27 win over the Jets before beating the Patriots with the last-second two-point conversion rush on Sunday.
The point here is there is no blueprint to developing quarterbacks and while it's not ideal to have to bench a young starter it doesn't have to signal the end of his career either.
Power 5
1. Detroit (11-1) – The Lions played with fire on Thanksgiving after a dominant first half.
2. Buffalo (10-2) – Impressive performance by the Bills in the snow Sunday night.
3. Philadelphia (10-2) – The Eagles defense has blossomed into one of the game's best.
4. Kansas City (11-1) – Another week, another Houdini act for the Chiefs.
5. Pittsburgh (9-3) – The Steelers just keep winning.
DISCLAIMER: The views and thoughts expressed in this article are those of the writer and don't necessarily reflect those of the organization. Read Full Disclaimer
