Patriots fans blast HC for questionable late-game decisions in 25-24 loss to Colts: "Jerod Mayo needs to be fired" 

On Sunday, the New England Patriots suffered a gut-wrenching 25-24 loss to the Indianapolis Colts at home, their third on the trot, and dropped to 3-10 for the season. They had a seven-point lead with about eight minutes left in the game and could have practically iced it had they gotten into field goal range after cornerback Christian Gonzalez picked off quarterback Anthony Richardson near midfield.

However, they went three-and-out after running the ball thrice and gave the ball back to the Colts, who survived three fourth downs and scored a touchdown on their subsequent drive. They also successfully converted a two-point try to take the lead, leaving the Patriots with 12 seconds to get a game-winning field goal or touchdown.

Quarterback Drake Maye managed to get 20 yards with two passes and set up a 68-yard field goal attempt for kicker Joey Slye, which looked good for most of the way, but didn't have the legs to go past the uprights.

Patriots fans on social media believe they would have won the game had it not been for head coach Jared Mayo's pragmatic play-calling late in the fourth quarter. They called him and demanded he be fired:

Some fans claimed the Patriots made an error in not hiring franchise icon Mike Vrabel to succeed Bill Belichick as the team's head coach this past offseason:

"Hiring Jerod Mayo when Mike Vrabel was available is proof that Robert Kraft has no idea what he’s doing and owes his success to Belichick (who he hates) and Brady." - Claimed @EvanRVice

"Mayo is not ready he needs to be fired. Vrabel should be coaching this team." - Believes @dtownsend576

"Fire Jerod Mayo, should’ve never been hired. How Mike Vrabel didn’t get this job is beyond me." - Opined @mystic_mike10

Patriots HC Jared Mayo laments redzone execution vs. Colts

In his post-game press conference, Jared Mayo expressed his dismay about the Patriots scoring only two touchdowns in their six trips to the red zone. He said:

"I'm going to go back and watch the film. It's ultimately execution at that point in the game... We just have to do a better job executing."

In one of those six drives, the Patriots had seemingly scored a touchdown from two yards out, courtesy of running back Rhamondre Stevenson. However, the play was negated by a holding penalty, and on the subsequent play, the offensive line was penalized for holding again.

New England went from 1st-and-goal from the two-yard line to the 22-yard line and eventually settled for a field goal. A touchdown there could have resulted in a different outcome.

Ultimately, the head coach is responsible for a team's lack of discipline in high-leverage situations. Mayo is as much a culprit for the loss as some players.