Patriots Inexplicably Failed To Make Defensive Adjustments In Rams Loss
FOXBORO, Mass. — The Patriots never adjusted to the adjustments.
Rams head coach Sean McVay coached circles around Patriots defensive-minded head coach Jerod Mayo and first-year defensive coordinator DeMarcus Covington en route to a 28-22 victory at Gillette Stadium on Sunday.
New England’s defensive staff arguably was the biggest reason the Patriots suffered the Week 11 loss, as discussed during the latest episode of NESN’s “Foxboro Rush” podcast.
The Patriots entered with the plan to keep top cornerback Christian Gonzalez on the short side of the field rather than shadow one of LA’s top wideouts. They hoped zone coverages and blitzes would force veteran quarterback Matthew Stafford to make the same rookie mistakes Chicago Bears’ Caleb Williams did one week prior.
That plan stunk, sure, but it wasn’t even the biggest issue.
The bigger problem was that Mayo, Covington and the Patriots never adjusted when the plan wasn’t working. McVay kept Puka Nacua and Cooper Kupp, two of the best pass-catchers in the league, away from Gonzalez on the boundary. Stafford then just diagnosed the same zone looks he’s seen for more than a decade as New England failed to generate any pressure (four hurries).
“If you have the opportunity to be able to stay away certain things, then you want to be able to do that,” McVay said. “All things being equal, if you had your choice, you’d say let’s stay away from him (Gonzalez).”
The Rams scored touchdowns on two of their final three first-half possessions and opened the second half with two consecutive scores — 28 points in less than 12 minutes of game action. A missed chip-shot field goal prevented LA from scoring on five consecutive drives.
“I felt like we were going to be OK,” Mayo said. “I thought we could outlast them.”
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Stafford and Kupp quickly diagnosed New England’s Cover 0 blitz, which left Patriots cornerback Jonathan Jones defending Kupp with no safety help over the top. It went for a game-changing 69-yard score on a route down the seam.
Stafford admitted he hasn’t had many opportunities to run such a play against Cover 0, but New England’s slow-developing pressure made it look like an easy pitch and catch.
Another way to put it? New England’s defensive play-call and execution was a first for the 16-year pro.
Gonzalez, meanwhile, limited Kupp to just nine yards on two catches over four targets.
Kupp instead did his work against Jonathan Jones (two catches, 74 yards, TD) while Nacua feasted on the same veteran (two catches, 49 yards, TD) and Wilson (three catches, 58 yards). Marcus Jones allowed three receptions (six targets) for 37 yards.
At least the Patriots weren’t beaten by the depth receiver who faced Gonzalez on the boundary, though.