Jerod Mayo Defends Questionable Last-Second Decision After Patriots’ Loss

The New England Patriots had a decision to make after inexplicably surrendering the lead to the Indianapolis Colts in the final seconds.

The offense got the ball back with 12 seconds to go and trailed 25-24 after the Colts scored and converted a two-point conversion. Two quick completions brought the ball to midfield with one second on the clock. New England kicker Joey Slye already had a busy day and head coach Jerod Mayo called on him one more time.

Instead of letting Drake Maye heave one to the end zone for a Hail Mary attempt, Mayo sent out Slye to try a 68-yard field goal. It would have set an NFL record had he converted, but the attempt came up short and capped a loss for the Patriots.

Mayo defended the decision following the defeat.

“That was 100% me,” Mayo told reporters, per team-provided video. “Look, Slye was hitting it well in pregame. I felt that that was the best thing to do to help our team win the football game. Not sure what the numbers are on Hail Mary’s versus a field goal there, but that’s what I felt was right.”

The Patriots kicker made three of his five field goal attempts Sunday afternoon. You can watch Slye’s last-second attempt here.

The Patriots head to their bye week before a Week 15 return against the Arizona Cardinals.