The Patriots' Week 18 matchup with the Bills next week will have a lot on the line, from the future of the coaching staff to their positioning in the first round of the 2025 NFL Draft. After the Giants' big win over the Colts this week, New England moved into the first overall pick while also being guaranteed a top-five selection no matter what happens in the season finale.
Because the season is already a wash, having fallen to 3-13 with the loss to the Chargers, fans and reporters are already stressing the idea of losing the game being better for the team long-term, which would include sitting Drake Maye for the game.
The quarterback suffered a head injury on Sunday that took him out of the game for a period, so prioritizing his safety moving forward would be one reason to keep him sidelined. On top of that, holding onto the first overall pick gives the Patriots numerous opportunities to consider by sticking and picking or trading back for a haul from a quarterback-needy team, which might be too good to pass up.
But that doesn't appear to be the mindset of Jerod Mayo, at least not when he spoke to WEEI on Monday morning.
Jerod Mayo plans for the Patriots to compete in Week 18 regardless of their draft pick
With the first overall pick at the front of most Patriots fans' minds now, reporters were quick to ask the head coach about playing to maintain that pick (which would require losing) or actually competing against the Bills in hopes of adding another win to their season.
Mayo stuck to what he should say, as a head coach, that they will be trying to beat their divisional rival on Sunday, which is not what most want to hear given the ramifications of winning.
Jerod Mayo says landing the No. 1 pick will not impact the #Patriots game plan this week:
— Mike Kadlick (@mikekadlick) December 30, 2024
"100% focused on beating the Buffalo Bills."
This isn't sitting well with fans so far, but at the same time, it's a bit silly to believe any head coach would come out and say he was going to ask his team to tank a game for the draft pick, especially one who is rumored to be in the hot seat.
If Mayo came out and admitted he would prefer the Patriots lose their season finale game, New England would be in an uproar that a head coach said that out loud, even if it was the result they wanted. So it's kind of a lose/lose situation for him.
But the good news for those disappointed by his answer - just because he wants the team to be competitive doesn't mean they will nor win the game. They just faced the Bills in Week 16 and didn't win. That could easily happen again despite being played in Foxboro next Sunday.