Patriots’ Jerod Mayo Vindicated After Bengals’ Two-Point Attempt?

Patriots head coach Jerod Mayo faced criticism (shocker) for a questionable decision (shocker) he made Sunday against the Tennessee Titans.

New England, as you probably already know, scored on a miraculous play by rookie quarterback Drake Maye in the final seconds of their game at Nissan Stadium. Mayo decided to tie the game with an extra point, foregoing an opportunity to win the game with a two-point conversion.

Tennessee, of course, got the ball to start overtime and essentially iced the game with a near-eight minute drive that resulted in a game-winning field goal. Mayo had to deal with the litany of questions that came from the result, but ultimately didn’t wait long to receive some vindication.

Cincinnati Bengals head coach Zac Taylor was put in the same situation in Thursday’s matchup with the Baltimore Ravens, decided to go for the win, and failed.

“It’s funny. It’s funny, man,” Mayo said, per team-provided video. “It’s very interesting, because you’re always going to have people on either side. I understand it, because if it works, you’re a genius. If it doesn’t work, then you leave yourself open to criticism… (Taylor) probably thought that was the best thing to do for his team. It’s easy to second-guess it, but it’s interesting.”

Cincinnati’s desire to go for the win definitely made sense, as Baltimore likely would have just walked down the field to score in OT — which is something they did throughout the game. Mayo would have been crushed if the Bengals succeeded, but luckily for him there was vindication on Thursday.