Before one of the biggest plays of the New England Patriots’ season to date, receiver Jakobi Meyers was fretting about his gloves.
Meyers, a former high school quarterback, had just gotten word that he’d be attempting the first pass of his young NFL career. He was confident in his throwing ability but also worried about his grip amid the sheets of rain that pounded Gillette Stadium throughout Sunday night.
Ultimately, the play went off without a hitch, with Meyers receiving a backward pass from quarterback Cam Newton and uncorking a perfectly placed 24-yard touchdown pass to running back Rex Burkhead.
The trick-play score gave the Patriots their first lead of the game with just over a minute remaining in the first half — a lead they would not relinquish en route to a 23-17 victory over the heavily favored Baltimore Ravens.
Speaking Monday on WEEI’s “Greg Hill Show,” Newton offered a glimpse inside the Patriots’ huddle and Meyers’ psyche before that pivotal pass.
“I was just joking with him,” the Patriots quarterback said. “When (offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels) decided the play and (Meyers) heard it — I was like, ‘We’ve got XYZ’ — Jakobi looked and he was like, ‘Huh?!’ I said, ‘Yeah, we’ve got’– the play was called. He looks down and he’s like, ‘Damn, hold on.’
“So everybody’s looking at him look at his gloves. He’s like, ‘Bro, I’ve got to take off one of my gloves.’ So he took off one of his gloves. (Tight end Ryan Izzo) was like, ‘You want my warm pouch so you can keep your hands dry?’ He was like, ‘No, no, no. … Hey, but hold my second glove, too.’ We had a moment as an offense in that huddle. Because we were coming off a TV timeout, and Jakobi was (anxious). I was like, ‘Bro, relax. If you don’t got nobody, just throw it to your checkdown — which is me — and I’m going to make something out of it.’ “
That option quickly evaporated. Smelling something fishy, edge rusher Tyus Bowser blanketed Newton, taking away Meyers’ safety valve. Rookie linebacker Patrick Queen was wise to the plan, too. He chased after Burkhead as the running back tore down the sideline on a wheel route.
Burkhead said after the game he was surprised Meyers attempted the pass. Newton was, too. He wanted the wideout to heave the ball safely out of bounds. The Patriots were in field-goal range, and a turnover at that juncture would have killed all momentum — and given Baltimore a chance to pad its lead before halftime.
Meyers, though, said he had total faith in Burkhead to come down with the ball. His faith was rewarded.
“When the play was snapped, somebody went straight to me,” Newton said on WEEI. “I was like, ‘Dang, Jakobi, you ain’t got nobody, so just throw it.’ I was telling him to throw it out of bounds or whatever, but he ended up making the play. And when I looked at the play on ESPN, I was like, ‘What is my man (Queen) doing? He’s trying to keep his hands over Burky’s eyes?’
“But it was just fun, and making those plays is something that we’re going to need here going forward a lot, especially getting into the second half of the season.”
Newton, who once coached Meyers on a high school all-star 7-on-7 team, wasn’t surprised by the pinpoint pass. Arm strength, he said, was never an issue for the 24-year-old.
“In high school, when he was on my 7-on-7 team, Jakobi without question could throw it, I would say, 65, 70 yards easy,” Newton said on WEEI. “With him having a baseball background — he played baseball. It was always the short (and) intermediate passes that Jakobi lacked. So when I saw him throw (Sunday night), I wasn’t surprised. I’ve seen him throw it 1,000 times.”
