There were a lot of reasons why the New England Patriots came up just short in their 25-24 loss to the Indianapolis Colts in Sunday's Week 13 game at Gillette Stadium, and red zone struggles should be at the top of the list.
The Patriots had very little trouble moving the ball against the Colts defense all game. They made six trips into the red zone, but they only scored two touchdowns on those drives. And in a close game that saw many lead changes, the difference between a field goal and a touchdown on just one drive could be the difference in a win or a loss.
What was the cause of the Patriots' inability to finish drives in the red zone?
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"I thought we ran the ball up until we got to the goal line pretty well," Patriots rookie quarterback Drake Maye said in his postgame press conference. "I think in the passing game, I think maybe get through my progression. It was tough down there. It was tight. Tight windows. Tight throws.
"I have to give our guys some chances. I think that's probably the biggest thing. And penalties ā I think one of them was penalties. We got back into, like, a first-and-goal from the 20. Just can't settle for four field goals in the red zone and expect to win ball games."
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The instance Maye is talking about came in the first quarter on the team's second drive. The Patriots marched all the way down to the 2-yard line, where running back Rhamondre Stevenson took a direct snap and ran to the right for a touchdown. But the score was taken away because of a holding penalty on offensive lineman Mike Onwenu. On the very next play, rookie left guard Layden Robinson also was penalized for holding.
So the Patriots went from first-and-goal at the 2-yard line to first-and-goal at the 22-yard line. They settled for a field goal on that drive. A touchdown likely would have changed the final result.
The opening drive of the game also ended with a Patriots field goal in the red zone. The drive stalled when Maye took a sack on third down, which he took blame for after the game.
"Yeah, I can't take a sack there," Maye said. "Red zone sacks, especially if we have a chance to maybe get some yards and go for it. I can't remember the play, but I think maybe ... I had a chance on the back side. If I've got back side, I ended up scrambling out. Just have to stay in the pocket and get back to the back side of the progression."
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Patriots head coach Jerod Mayo pointed to bad execution as the root of the team's red zone problems.
"I'm going to go back and watch the film. It's ultimately execution at that point in the game," Mayo said in his postgame press conference. He added: "We just have to do a better job executing."
The Patriots have the fourth-worst touchdown scoring rate in the red zone after Sunday. There are a lot of things this team needs to improve during its upcoming bye week, and red zone offense is certainly one of them. Mayo would be wise to devote a lot of practice time toward fixing this facet of the team's offense.
The Patriots have the second-toughest remaining schedule in the league. They won't win any more games if they keep settling for field goals inside the 20-yard line.