Patriots

Bill O’Brien explains why Patriots lacked urgency during the fourth quarter on Sunday

"We were trying very hard to get into a tempo, but we just weren’t able to do it."

DeVante Parker and the Patriots ran 13 plays in the fourth quarter on Sunday, needing more than five and a half minutes to do that.

By Khari Thompson, The Boston Globe

After the loss to the Chiefs on Sunday, running back Ezekiel Elliott told reporters he believed the Patriots could have “went a little faster” on offense in the fourth quarter.

On Tuesday, offensive coordinator Bill O’Brien agreed. The Patriots wanted to pick up the pace, but were unable to execute properly.

”We got the ball back with four minutes to go, I think, on our own 6-inch yard line,” O’Brien said. “And so we decided to try to get two plays to try to punch it out of there. So we ran a quarterback sneak and then we ran like a downhill duo-type play.

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“And then the next play, we were into a two-minute mode in that third play and we didn’t complete the pass. And then on the fourth-down play, we didn’t — our protection wasn’t great.

”So we were trying very hard to get into a tempo, but we just weren’t able to do it. I would say that Zeke’s on the money. We’re trying to go faster there. We didn’t get it done. We didn’t do a good enough job of going faster. So put that one on me.”

Costly pick

Bailey Zappe’s performance against the Chiefs was “solid,” O’Brien said. The second-year quarterback went 23 for 31 with a touchdown and an interception.

Zappe completed 17 of his first 19 passes, but the interception played a big role in extinguishing second-half comeback hopes. New England was down seven when Zappe made a hurried throw well short of tight ends Pharaoh Brown and Hunter Henry.

Willie Gay, one of three Chiefs defenders nearby, ran the ball back to the Patriots’ 7-yard line. It took the Chiefs just two plays to score a touchdown and put New England down, 24-10.

”That’s not a good omen for the rest of the half. We’ve got to be able to overcome it,” O’Brien said. “But, you know, we throw an interception on [our] very first play, like, that was not good. And so after that, it became a two-score game and we had to do some different things and, you know, just didn’t go quite the way we wanted it to go.

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”We can’t turn the ball over. We have to continue to try to stress that and make the guys understand,” O’Brien added. “Bailey played, I think, a solid football game. He’d be the first to tell you that he’d like to have that play back, but we’ve got to do a better job of taking care of the ball.”

Is Mac Jones done?

Zappe has made three starts in a row. Mac Jones, the starting quarterback for the first 11 games of the season, has not played.

O’Brien was asked if there’s anything Jones can do to get another chance this season, and the offensive coordinator did not completely shut down the idea.

”I think everybody’s got to be ready to play, especially in the situation that we’re in. I really do,” O’Brien said. “I think that everybody has to be ready to go. Anybody that’s on the 53-man roster really has to go out on the practice field and practice well and earn a shot to play. That’s whether you’re a quarterback, wide receiver, tight end, running back, or offensive lineman.

”I know that you’ve heard that from Bill [Belichick], but that’s the truth. Like, you have to be ready to go because if you practice really well, you’re going to have a real shot to play. So I think that goes for every position.”

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After losing Malik Cunningham and Will Grier, the Patriots claimed quarterback Nathan Rourke from Jacksonville’s practice squad.

”To be honest with you, I just found that out and I just met him in the hallway,” O’Brien said. “So it’s gonna be good to work with him and we’ll get going with him as soon as possible.”

Barmore’s breakout season

Christian Barmore has already set a new career-high in sacks with 5½, and had a season-high six tackles against the Chiefs. Defensive line coach DeMarcus Covington highlighted two keys to Barmore’s breakout season.

”One, he’s been healthy all season. And two, he’s been playing very consistent every week, week to week,” Covington said. “I think consistency is the key. He’s been consistent in the run game. He’s been consistent in the pass game. He’s been doing a really good job for our defense and making some good plays for us.”