FOXBORO — Patriots broad receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster dropped the cross that led to a game-sealing interception in Sunday’s 20-17 loss to the Commanders.
He took full accountability for the play post-game.
“It’s all on me. (Mac Jones) put the ball in a good position. I just have to make the catch, secure it, and now we’re in field goal range,” he stated. “Obviously, I didn’t do that, and we fell short.”
Recalling the play, Smith-Schuster remembered he discovered open area over the center. Jones bounced within the pocket, whereas a lot of the Patriots pass-catchers labored off the road at Washington’s 41, gassed by an extended fourth quarter. Jones rifled a late cross over the center, which hit Smith-Schuster in each arms however as a substitute discovered Commanders security Jartavius Martin.
“Middle of the field was open,” Smith-Schuster stated. “Ran an in-cut. It was a good ball, went through my hands, interception. Game over.”
Smith-Schuster tackled Martin at Washington’s 33-yard line, then remained on the sphere staring into the space in disbelief. He’d taken over for second-round rookie Tyquan Thornton, who was benched after a depressing first half. Thornton caught only one cross on 4 targets for seven yards, together with an out route the place poor route-running contributed to an incompletion. Meanwhile, Smith-Schuster noticed simply 5 snaps earlier than halftime.
Despite his lack of enjoying time, Smith-Schuster stated he was not annoyed. The Patriots made him their fifth receiver in final weekend’s loss at Miami, the place he caught one cross for a 3-yard landing. At the tip of Sunday’s loss, he completed with a team-high six grabs for 51 yards.
Among these was a fourth-down catch that sustained the ultimate drive and Jones highlighted in his post-game press convention.
“I think JuJu made a great play the play before or we wouldn’t even be in that situation. I just went through my reads and fired it in there. It was just a bang-bang play,” Jones stated of the interception. “Obviously while you lose the sport, it’s irritating. It’s not on one individual or one participant in any respect. Like I stated, JuJu made some nice performs.
“We’re all in it together. I can throw a better ball, protect him a little bit more, all that stuff. I’ll watch the film, like I said, see what I can do to fix my part.”
Patriots coach Bill Belichick supplied a short evaluation of the play post-game.
“I don’t think it was really the read (that) was wrong. Don’t want to lose the ball there. We’re in field goal range – it’s a long kick. But the ball gets tipped up in the air, made an interception.”
Smith-Schuster’s ongoing struggles encapsulate what’s been a troubling place for the Patriots all season, particularly after shedding main receiver Kendrick Bourne to a torn ACL final week. After signing a 3-year, $25.5 million deal in free company, Smith-Schuster lastly crossed 100 yards on the season Sunday in his seventh sport look. Back in September, he didn’t end the Pats’ season-opening loss to Philadelphia, when the workers sat him for sixth-round rookie Kayshon Boutte.
Since then, Boutte has been a wholesome scratch, even after the group was down to 5 wholesome receivers this week, and Belichick instructed reporters the LSU product had loved “probably” his finest week as a professional. Against Washington, the Patriots fielded 4 wideouts: Smith-Schuster, Thornton, Boutte and former practice-squad signee Jalen Reagor.
Reagor caught one in every of six targets for 11 yards and didn’t see the sphere on the Patriots’ closing drive. He dropped what would have been Jones’ longest completion on a play-action deep shot within the third quarter; a mistake forgotten within the aftermath of Smith-Schuster’s game-killing gaffe.
The Patriots have now misplaced 4 one-possession video games this season, together with three at residence.
“Yeah, that’s tough, that’s tough,” Smith-Schuster stated. “I think the biggest thing in that is to just keep believing, keep having faith. You know, don’t lose that. The hard part is we know what we’re capable of doing, and not be able to go out there and do it.”
Source: www.bostonherald.com