Briefly losing Hunter Henry influenced the Patriots’ offensive strategy during an ill-fated goal-line sequence Sunday, according to head coach Bill Belichick.
New England operated out of the shotgun on three consecutive plays from inside the 2-yard line in its 30-24 loss to the Las Vegas Raiders at Allegiant Stadium, all of which failed to produce a touchdown.
Henry, one of the Patriots’ two high-priced tight ends, was unavailable for this sequence after being poked in the eye earlier in the drive, according to a report on FOX’s game broadcast. Unable to deploy their heavier 12-personnel package with Henry and Jonnu Smith, play-caller Matt Patricia chose to position quarterback Mac Jones in the gun on first, second and third down from near the Vegas goal line rather than having him take the snap from under center.
The Patriots have utilized an offensive tackle as a jumbo tight end at points this season but have not done so since Marcus Cannon landed on injured reserve in early November.
“There’s benefits to both (shotgun and under center),” Belichick said Monday in a video conference. “It’s really a longer conversation than that, but without Hunter there, that wasn’t where we would have normally been. But that’s what it was. We did what we thought was best at the time given the circumstances. Maybe there’s other options that we’ll have in the future. We’ll see.”
On first-and-goal from the 2-yard line early in the second quarter, the Patriots sent out their two-running back “pony” package, lined up rookie Pierre Strong as a wide receiver and called what appeared to be an RPO handoff to Rhamondre Stevenson. Stevenson burrowed inside the 1 but was stopped short of the end zone.
Then, New England opted to run a play without any running backs on the field. Cornerback/receiver Marcus Jones aligned next to Mac Jones, and the QB overthrew an open Smith, whose defender had stumbled as the tight end broke toward the back pylon.
On third down, the Patriots reinserted Stevenson, and Jones hit receiver Jakobi Meyers for what appeared to be an over-the-shoulder touchdown. But New England’s sideline had called timeout before the snap, negating the play and sparking an animated reaction from the frustrated Jones. The Patriots then sent Stevenson in motion and ran another pass play. Jones’ slant to Nelson Agholor was broken up by cornerback Amik Robertson.
The Patriots’ offense stayed on the field on fourth-and-goal and moved Mac Jones under center, with Marcus Jones lined up behind him. The QB scored on a successful sneak — but had snapped the ball before Smith was set, resulting in a false start penalty. New England subsequently settled for a chip-shot Nick Folk field goal. It was the first time all season that Las Vegas had not allowed a touchdown in a goal-to-go situation.
Henry’s absence did not explain why the Patriots ran three goal-line plays without a traditional rushing threat in the backfield — another second guess. Marcus Jones has yet to take a handoff in his NFL career, and Stevenson’s motion on the second third-down try made clear he wouldn’t be doing so. The Raiders struggled all night to stop Stevenson, who finished with 172 rushing yards and averaged 9.1 yards per carry. Henry later returned and played 52 offensive snaps in the loss.
The Patriots also burned two timeouts in a three-second span, with the other coming before Jones’ fourth-down sneak. Belichick wouldn’t say what prompted those stoppages.
“It’s a combination of things that we obviously need to be better,” the coach said.
The Patriots’ offense ranks last in the NFL in red-zone touchdown rate and 30th in goal-to-go conversion rate. They’re also 29th on third down after going an ugly 2-for-13 on Sunday.
Despite those situational woes and a poor overall performance from Mac Jones, the Patriots were in a position to win after scoring 21 consecutive second-half points to overcome a 17-3 halftime deficit. They led 24-17 with less than four minutes remaining, but the Raiders staged a nine-play, 81-yard touchdown to tie the score and then won when Chandler Jones picked off an ill-advised downfield lateral by Meyers and returned it 48 yards for a walk-off touchdown.
“The first thing I said after the game is we have to play better situational football,” Belichick said. “Play and coach better situational football.”
