Beleaguered play-caller tops list of Patriots' villains in gross loss to Titans

Does anyone remember the first couple of years of Michael Jordan's career when the Chicago Bulls were simply Michael and his Jordan-aires?

Sadly, that version of the Bulls mirrors the current state of the Patriots, and Drake Maye has been cast into the role of Jordan. That was painfully clear in Sunday afternoon's 20-17 overtime loss to the Tennessee Titans in Nashville.

Yes, Maye was pretty good (95 yards rushing, 206 yards passing, a game-tying touchdown pass to Rhamondre Stevenson on the final play of regulation). But the other 52 guys on the Patriots were on milk cartons, and the coaching staff didn't exactly call a clean game.

3 Patriots villains from their Week 9 loss to the Titans

1. Offensive coordinator Alex Van Pelt

This was arguably the worst play-calling I've seen from Van Pelt all year. On the Patriots' last drive of the first half, Maye completed two passes to Kendrick Bourne. With the Patriots needing one yard for a first down, Van Pelt called two runs, and the Titans stuffed both of them.

The Patriots' running game has been non-existent since Week 2, and when your rookie quarterback is leading your team in rushing and throwing the ball 41 times, that's problematic. Especially when that quarterback spent the week in concussion protocol. Eight penalties are also inexcusable.

Also, why not take a chance and go for two at the end of regulation, knowing your defense hasn't been spectacular?

2. QB Drake Maye

For all the great things Maye did, in particular, extending the play on the tying touchdown to Stevenson, there were a lot of rookie mistakes. The biggest one was a fourth-quarter strip-sack in New England territory, and the Titans turned that into a touchdown and a 17-10 lead.

For all the bad and the ugly we saw from Van Pelt, I'm OK with the play call on the game-ending interception in overtime, but Maye will learn to watch for the second safety over the top in that situation. He also took four sacks, so Maye needs to learn if running lanes aren't there. Just throw the ball into the bench and learn to live another down.

3. The entire defense

This was a winnable game against a bad Tennessee team, and the Patriots defense made Mason Rudolph look like Warren Moon at times, and that's inexcusable. Tony Pollard looked like the second coming of Earl Campbell at times, rushing for 128 yards on 28 carries. If you take away Maye's scrambling, Tennessee outgained the Patriots 167-15 on the ground, and that can't happen.

The Titans took the first drive of overtime and rammed it right down New England's throats, leaving some wondering why the Patriots didn't go for two at the end of regulation.

Rudolph threw for 240 yards and two touchdowns, and with the Patriots facing Caleb Williams, Matthew Stafford, and Tua Tagovailoa in the next three games, the defense better get it together, or the Patriots could be staring down the barrel of 2-10 once Thanksgiving comes and goes.

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