There’s blame to go around following the game-altering mistake from the Patriots’ 20-13 loss to the Raiders.
Patriots quarterback Drake Maye should have made a better decision given it was second down at midfield. New England’s offensive line, specifically the veteran-led side of right tackle Morgan Moses and right guard Mike Onwenu, should have communicated it better. Patriots wide receiver Stefon Diggs and Maye didn’t seem to be on the same page, either.
“It felt like the play that changed everything for the Patriots’ offense,” Patriots insider Phil Perry said on The Breakdown on Monday night. “It was an interception from that guy, Drake Maye, in the third quarter. He feels pressure from Maxx Crosby and ends up delivering a high football to Stefon Diggs. And really from there, the Patriots offense fell apart.”
Former Patriots linebacker and current NFL analyst, Ted Johnson, broke down the play alongside Perry.
Facing second-and-7 from the New England 48 yard line, Maye took the shotgun snap from Garrett Bradbury. New England had six bodies to block four rushers with running back Rhamondre Stevenson in pass protection on Maye’s right. Prior to the snap, Moses was responsible for Crosby on the right edge with Onwenu tasked to stop Raiders defensive tackle Thomas Booker IV on a four-man rush with two safeties deep.
“They’re coverage is Cover Two,” Johnson said. “They were doing that because they didn’t really respect the Patriots’ run game so they decided to play with two safeties deep. Clearly, that was a good plan for them.”
Las Vegas didn’t blitz New England much and instead relied on schemed up pressure. On this particular play, Crosby and Booker worked off one another on an “X stunt” with the goal to get Crosby an inside lane.
“It’s a very difficult stunt to block and they exploited the Patriots’ offensive line by doing this,” Johnson said.
The two-man rotation worked. Crosby got inside of Onwenu and pressured Maye. The second-year quarterback was unable to follow through on his pass intended for Diggs. Raiders safety Isaiah Pola-Mao had no trouble making the interception at the Las Vegas 29 yard line.
“He was uncomfortable with the pressure, and on this play the pressure got to him,” Johnson said of Maye.
It not only halted New England’s drive, which had featured four straight completions from Maye, but also the momentum. The Patriots, possessing a 10-7 lead coming out of the intermission, had the opportunity to make it a two-possession game. Instead, it was another back-breaking turnover.
Raiders running back Ashton Jeanty capped a five-play, 71-yard drive with a three-yard touchdown less than three minutes later and Las Vegas never gave away its lead.
