Initial observations from Week 15 at State Farm Stadium.
One side lost three in a row before the bye. The other side lost three in a row after the bye.
Something had to give at State Farm Stadium, where the New England Patriots fell to the Arizona Cardinals by a score of 30-17 on Sunday afternoon.
Here’s a glance back on what went into it as head coach Jerod Mayo’s roster moves deeper into December at 3-11.
Starting with 10 completions, Maye carries the weight with touchdowns by air and ground
Arizona’s defense entered the 4:25 p.m. ET kickoff allowing a completion rate of 69.4 percent. It would be up to the rookie under center for New England to test the trend.
Drake Maye went 19-of-23 passing for 202 yards. His Sunday got underway with 10 completions in a row. The No. 3 overall pick out of the University of North Carolina found touchdowns by air and ground from there. Breaking the huddle in “12” personnel, he appeared unfazed by a bad snap as the opening drive saw the field goal unit step on to no avail. The next time out, things quickly ended in a punt following back-to-back-to-back negative plays. The third drive also came to a close only three plays in. It would be a 13-3 deficit by halftime.
But Maye did not have a throw hit the grass until he tested a deep post at the 9:00 mark in the third quarter. And that possession, which resulted in a turnover on downs, brought his side into the red zone for the first time. A bobbled catch landed in the hands of cornerback Sean Murphy-Bunting as the final quarter neared. Even so, Maye responded from the interception with a deep ball for 37 yards and an improvising flick out of the pocket for points. He later called his own number on a touchdown scramble from five yards out. In a game that saw the Patriots go 0-6 on third down, a 22-year-old quarterback was part of all that went right.
Wideout room of four stays quiet until it’s too late
The Patriots headed to Glendale with four wide receivers after waiving veteran K.J. Osborn and ruling out rookie Javon Baker. But by intermission, it was cornerback and punt returner Marcus Jones checking in atop the depth chart with a cameo catch for 18 yards.
Not a ringing endorsement. Kayshon Boutte started and finished with two receptions for 19 yards. The LSU product was responsible for a juggled interception across the middle in a game that soon swelled from 16-3 to 23-3. Also getting the starting nod only to be targeted once was was No. 37 overall pick Ja’Lynn Polk.
The wideout production stayed quiet until the fourth quarter. It was too little, too late. Kendrick Bourne ultimately led the way with 44 yards, diving to get under a long of 37. The elder statesman previously recovered a fumble from DeMario Douglas, who went on to find space in the end zone for his second career touchdown.
New England’s backfield tandem worth leaning on
Rhamondre Stevenson and Antonio Gibson had combined for 156 yards from scrimmage and a visit to the end zone in the final game before the bye week. The tandem would have to keep the ground rolling against a run defense ranked in the back third of the NFL in expected points added per play and success rate.
The Patriots turned to Stevenson for 13 carries on Sunday. The starting running back turned those carries into 69 yards, including decisive gains of 10, 10 and 15. A fourth-and-1 shovel kept the chains moving, too. He also had a hand in a checkdown catch worth 16 from the right flat.
And Gibson, who scored his first touchdown of the season as the calendar turned to December, was on the field for blitz pickup and a shotgun run as early the first series. The March signing drew nine touches for 64 yards altogether against the Cardinals. A burst of 29 surfaced after the break.
Strange’s wait continues as same starting five struggles
Sunday marked 52 weeks since Cole Strange sustained a torn patellar tendon. But while the Chattanooga product made the trip after being cleared from the physically unable to perform list, he made his way to the inactives prior to kickoff.
The starting combination remained the same. The results remained the same. It would be Vederian Lowe, who was beat for sack and a tackle for loss, at left tackle. It would be rookie Layden Robinson, who was flagged for offensive holding, at left guard. It would be Ben Brown, who had a pair of low snaps, at center. And over the October addition’s shoulder resided Mike Onwenu at right guard and Demontrey Jacobs at right tackle.
The ninth configuration of the season was subject to takedowns courtesy of Arizona’s Baron Browning and Darius Robinson.
Murray goes 23-of-30 as Harrison and Gonzalez face off
A former Heisman Trophy winner awaited the Patriots in Glendale. But the Patriots would have to wait him out there, too. Kyler Murray completed 23-of-30 passes for 224 yards on Sunday. The Cardinals quarterback had no touchdowns and an errant interception wiped away by roughing the passer.
Rookie wide receiver Marvin Harrison Jr. reeled in two catches for 32 yards across six throws sent his direction, beginning with 23 over the middle against Pro Bowl contender Christian Gonzalez to set up an early field goal. They’d soon cross paths again on third down, with an incompletion deep down the left sideline followed up by a pair of touchdown-saving breakups on a chases to the right corner of the end zone. The sudden Greg Dortch chipped in three catches for 60 yards, though, and had a fumble recovered by offensive tackle Jonah Williams to make it a double-digit deficit. Tight end Trey McBride also found minimal resistance with a team-high nine catches for 87 yards.
The Patriots started the aforementioned No. 0 and Jonathan Jones at cornerback. Captain Kyle Dugger, who whiffed on a catch-and-run of 39 yards, joined them at safety next to Jabrill Peppers in the 3-4 base defense. Marte Mapu, the No. 76 overall pick in the 2023 class, remained a healthy scratch for the secondary.
An upright, downhill Conner runs away from Patriots
James Conner entered the afternoon having eclipsed the century mark in scrimmage yards seven times this season. The 29-year-old’s longevity wasn’t lost on New England’s head coach.
“I mean, this guy’s still going,” Mayo said last week. “It’s been very impressive to see that a guy at this age is still running very hard. He’s tough, he can run between the tackles, he can run outside, he can run you over, he can run around you, so he’s a very good player. It’s good to see that after all that he’s been through that he’s still playing at a high level at this point in time.”
Upright yet downhill, Conner totaled 110 yards and two touchdowns through 16 handoffs on Sunday, including a breakaway of 53 behind his pulling center and right tackle. The 6-foot-1, 233-pounder also lent a hand with a handful catches for 28 yards. The Patriots started Daniel Ekuale, Davon Godchaux and Jeremiah Pharms Jr. on the defensive line. Off the edges stood Keion White as well as Anfernee Jennings. The starting outside linebackers drew a pair of holds and forced a fumble, respectively, yet the front finished without a sack or much containment from off-the-ball help.
After seventh miss of season, Slye converts from 50
The Patriots signed kicker John Parker Romo to the practice squad after the bye week reached the rearview. But the incumbent, who missed from short range and long range prior to then, aimed to keep things through the uprights on Sunday.
Wide left from 53 yards the initial attempt went instead. Joey Slye finished 1-of-2 on field goals against the Cardinals and the sophomore specialist he outlasted at the 53-man roster deadline. The veteran converted from 50 yards away in the second quarter and made both extra points.
Chad Ryland went 3-of-3 and accounted for a dozen points for Arizona.