The New England Patriots used to master the art of late-game drives and time management. In the new era for the franchise, that art has been lost.
In contending seasons, the Patriots used to force late-game mistakes from their opponents to close out games. With the fashion of Sunday's 10-6 loss to the Indianapolis Colts in mind, a prime example stands out from the 2017 campaign.
New England earned a hard-fought victory over the Pittsburgh Steelers in December of that season. In the thrilling road win, the Steelers tried to run a fake spike near the goal line and instead sputtered in disarray. Ben Roethlisberger took the snap and fired a ball to the end zone among a confused line of scrimmage. New England defensive back Eric Rowe tipped the pass to safety Duran Harmon, who hauled in the game-sealing interception for the Patriots.
That win ultimately helped the Patriots jump the Steelers and earn the No. 1 seed in the AFC on their way to their third conference title in four seasons.
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In the years since the end of championship seasons in New England, the Patriots have become the team that committed several key mistakes in clutch situations. The latest occurrence also revolved around a fake spike.
Trailing by four with under two minutes to go, Bailey Zappe relieved Mac Jones at quarterback, who also threw a game-changing interception in the red zone on the previous possession.
After converting on fourth down with the clock running, Zappe faked a spike while several players looked around for a potential penalty at the snap. With a live play, the New England quarterback tossed an ill-advised pass downfield that Colts defensive back Rodney Thomas II snagged for an interception to wrap up the third straight loss for the Patriots.
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Several common issues exist for the Patriots over the last four seasons, particularly in the current 2023 campaign that now features a 2-8 record.
The turnover to end Sunday's loss is just one microcosm of the downhill trend for the Patriots, going from sparking championship runs on final drives to crucial mistakes now further dropping the team into the basement of the standings. As New England continues to regroup for the future, resolving these trends will be at the forefront.
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The Patriots look to snap the three-game losing streak on the other side of the bye week against the New York Giants in Week 12.
Featured image via Kirby Lee/USA TODAY Sports Images
