Instead of throwing a Hail Mary pass, Joey Slye was called upon to try and make a Hail Mary kick in the final second of the New England Patriots’ 25-24 loss to the Indianapolis Colts.
The Patriots kicker lined up for a 68-yard field goal attempt to try and win New England the game, which would’ve set an NFL record. While it was an absurdly long attempt, Slye’s kick nearly went in. It was accurate and fell just a few yards short of the goalpost.
Initially, it appeared that Slye’s kick was on track to make it through. Slye thought he kicked the ball pretty well, too.
“I hit it clean. It was dead down the pipe from where I was looking,” Slye said. “I knew if I just had the distance it would be fine.”
Slye didn’t hold anything back on the kick, either.
“I knew I pretty much had to put everything I had into it,” he said. “It was a little bit short.”
Patriots punter Bryce Bariner, who was the holder for the kick, actually thought that his teammate was about to break Baltimore Ravens kick Justin Tucker’s record for the longest field goal in NFL history, which is 66 yards.
“I thought he made it,” Baringer said. “Off his foot, I can kind of feel if he catches one or not. And he smashed it.”
“I’m not into hypotheticals, but a yard closer, or two yards closer, I think we’re having a different outcome,” Baringer said. “It was a good operation. He slaughtered one. I was ready to celebrate. He just smashed it.”
Joey Slye appreciated Patriots coach Jerod Mayo for a game-winning opportunity
When Slye made his way onto the field for the 68-yard attempt, many were confused. Maye had a good performance against the Colts and seemingly has the arm to get the ball down the field for a Hail Mary pass. Additionally, no one has ever made a 68-yard kick in NFL history. So, conventional wisdom would’ve suggested Jerod Mayo to try a Hail Mary pass instead of a kick.
But Mayo felt Slye gave them the best chance to win in that moment, potentially leaving him open to more scrutiny.
“Look, Slye was hitting it well in pregame, and I felt that that was the best thing to do to help our team win the football game,” Mayo said of Slye’s kick. “Not sure what the numbers are on Hail Marys versus the field goal there, but that’s what I felt was right.”
Slye made a 63-yard field goal in the Patriots’ Week 4 loss to the San Francisco 49ers, which set the franchise record for the longest made field goal. However, he also missed a 25-yard chip shot earlier in the game, which wound up being the difference in Sunday’s game.
So, Slye appreciated getting a chance at redemption and possibly being the hero in Sunday’s game.
“I know Coach [Mayo] has a lot of faith in me that I have a strong enough leg to hit from distance,” Slye said. “I knew … when they did the chunk play at the end. I figured it was going to be a better situation for me to kick it in field goal range. I don’t think we’re taking that opportunity to get a Hail Mary in that situation. It jut seemed like everything was leaning toward kicking a field goal.”
The Patriots will hope Slye makes his field goals when they return from their bye week in Week 15 when they travel to face the Arizona Cardinals.
