The New England Patriots faced the Jacksonville Jaguars in Week 7 and had a chance to narrow the deficit to a single score in the fourth quarter.

This choice didn’t turn out as planned. Maye seemed to target Ja’Lynn Polk, who was in a favorable position near the end zone, but Polk lost his footing and missed the catch. Consequently, the pass dropped incomplete, leaving the Jaguars in control with an eight-point lead and 8:22 remaining in the game.

During the postgame press conference, Mayo explained the reasoning behind his decision to go for two points despite the 15-point deficit.

“At some point, you have to go for two,” Mayo mentioned, highlighting the nature of being down by 15 points. “I wanted to have a clearer understanding of our situation with more time remaining, so we made the choice to go for two on that first touchdown.”

Mayo’s choice mirrors a growing trend in the NFL where coaches are opting for two-point conversions after scoring touchdowns when their team is down by 14 points. This strategy allows teams who succeed on the conversion to remain competitive, as they would still only need one touchdown to win even if they fail the conversion.

However, the approach differs with a 15-point deficit, as failing the two-point conversion turns it into a more challenging situation by remaining two possessions behind.

As a result of Mayo’s decision in the Patriots-Jaguars game, the failure to convert made it significantly harder for the Patriots to recover from their 25-16 score line, eventually leading to a 32-16 defeat.

Despite the adverse outcome, Mayo stood by his decision.

“Others might view it differently,” he admitted. “It’s simply a matter of philosophy.”