JuJu Smith-Schuster took the blame for Mac Jones' game-ending interception in the New England Patriots' 20-17 loss to the Washington Commanders on Sunday.
As the Patriots moved the ball to the Commanders' 41-yard line with 38 seconds left, it appeared that they were going to have a chance to either tie or win the game. But Jones' pass to Smith-Schuster on second-and-8 went right through the receiver's hands and the arms of Commanders defensive back Jartavius Martin’s arms, sealing the game for Washington.
COMMANDERS SECURE THE W. #HTTC pic.twitter.com/VZ60rjRlUj
— NFL (@NFL) November 5, 2023
“Middle of the field was open, I ran an in-cut, it was a good ball. It went through my hands [for] an interception. Game over,” Smith-Schuster told reporters of the play.
“It's all on me,” Smith-Schuster continued. “[Jones] put the ball in a good positon. I've just got to make the catch, secure and now we're in field goal range. Obviously, I didn't do that. Fell short.”
The Patriots' offense struggled as a unit again.
Smith-Schuster's drop was just a microcosm of what went wrong for the Patriots' offense on Sunday. They only had 327 yards of offense against a Commanders team that entered Week 9 with the fourth-worst defense in the league.
The Patriots also scored just three points in the second half and seven of their 17 points came after a Commanders fumble gave them great field position. While the Patriots' offense has still only scored more than 20 points in a game once this season, Smith-Schuster felt optimistic about the unit, saying that they're close to fixing it.
“It takes all 11 of us to make a play happen,” Smith-Schuster said. “We've just got to fix little things, here and there. We're moving the ball very well. We've just got to finish our drives.”
JuJu pic.twitter.com/7BNh9rA2OP
— Christopher Price (@cpriceglobe) November 5, 2023
Smith-Schuster saw more action on Sunday than he did last week, where he only played the fourth quarter, as Kendrick Bourne and DeVante Parker were out in Week 9. He had a team-high six receptions, recording 51 receiving yards throughout the game.
As Smith-Schuster's had an underwhelming first season in New England, he admitted that “it's very frustrating” to see the constant struggles. But he knows the only way out is to have belief.
“It's tough. It's tough,” Smith-Schuster said. “I think the biggest thing is keep believing and having faith. Don't lose that. The hard part is that you know what we're capable of doing but not being able to go out there and do it more than we can, as a whole.”
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