Jerod Mayo had a chance to win. Why didn't he take it? | Karen Guregian

Drake Maye simply blew everyone away.

Maye sat at the Tennessee Titans' five-yard line with four ticks left on the clock and only one crucial play left to get into the end zone. Maye took the snap. Since no one was open immediately, he ran around to avoid the hustle and bustle and buy time for someone to find daylight.

He dove and dodged, bobbed and swayed, climbing right, then left, then left, then right, for 11 remarkable seconds. He deftly kept the game alive before delivering the ball while working up a sweat.

That alone was magical. Even better was the fact that his throw fell into the hands of Rhamondre Stevenson in the end zone. Landing. It was a hell of a game, especially from a kid who had been dealing with a concussion all week.

That made it 17:16. Next came the decision. Pedal or walk in pairs?

Overtime or two-point conversion attempt to potentially win the game outright?

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There wasn't much hesitation.

Jerod Mayo took the safe route. He sent Joey Slye in for the extra point.

The decision was understandable, but also controversial.

Why not go for the knockout? Why not show a little aggressiveness and let Maye try to convert the two-point game with a little more magic?

The team had a lead of 2:6. It didn't go anywhere. The Patriots' existence revolves around their rookie quarterback.

This was the right place for it. This was the time to further solidify Maye as the franchise quarterback of everyone's dreams. Let the child cook.

Instead, Mayo were happy to go into extra time and try to carry the momentum of that miracle result into extra time. It didn't happen. The Patriots ultimately lost 20-17 to the Titans.

After that grueling 11-game ride, it's safe to assume that Maye and the offense were a bit banged up. But so was Tennessee. They had been following him the entire game.

Why not strike while the iron is hot as Maye proves why he will be a superstar? Or, as Davon Godchaux said while Maye performed his “Josh Allen 2.0” act?

If he didn't make that two-point conversion and then the team lost, what's the difference? Is the feeling completely different?

Had Maye managed to pull another rabbit out of the hat, the Patriots would have become the most-watched 3-6 team in the league. Anyone from New England and beyond would have their eye on the Patriots.

After the loss, Mayo was asked about his motivations and whether Maye and offensive fatigue played a role in the decision to shoot the extra point rather than go for two and the win.

“I don’t want to go into that,” Mayo replied. “That's a good question. I just don’t want to get involved in it right now.”

Interesting answer. The otherwise transparent Mayo did not want to provide an explanation for the decision to take the extra point.

Unsurprisingly, Maye supported the decision. He pointed the finger at himself for the three turnovers (two picks, one fumble) he committed in the game, particularly the turnover on the final play of overtime where he threw the ball in the air trying to Meet Kayshon Boutte.

Maye did not want to second-guess Mayo or the coaching staff in the decision to take the kick. That wasn't Maye's style in controversial situations. He said he didn't tell Mayo to go ahead and try to make the conversion happen.

Instead, he joked that he was exhausted after his amazing 11-second spin in and around the five-yard line.

“Shit, I was just trying to catch my breath,” Maye said. “I couldn't even think about it. I think looking back it's easy to say. We had been on such an intense journey for so long. I think it's hard to go with two people. I don't think it's easy to look back and say that now. Our defense was fresh, came out in overtime and tried to stop the game.”

The defense bent overtime but ultimately couldn't break through, forcing a Nick Folk field goal. Meanwhile, Maye ran out of magic in OT when Armani Hooker intercepted Maye's long ball in the middle of the field.

He would love a mulligan on this roll.

“Just a stupid decision,” Maye said. “Something you would like to have back, especially in this situation.”

A mulligan at the end of regulation would have been nice too. We'll never know if Maye could have clinched the win with that two-point conversion. It would have been something worth seeing, just the attempt after Stevenson scored.

That was the most disappointing thing about Sunday's defeat.