The Patriots coach says it was the right decision to overturn the TD because of the toe-heel rule

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. – Without the toe-to-heel rule, the New England Patriots might have picked up their second win of the season on Sunday.

Instead, they lost 15-10 to the visiting Miami Dolphins after rookie receiver Ja’Lynn Polk’s 12-yard touchdown catch with 1:08 left was overturned following an immediate replay review.

Polk leapt into the air under the goalpost to intercept a pass from quarterback Jacoby Brissett, and his momentum carried him to the end line. Polk’s left foot hit the ground in the end zone, as did his right toe, but his right heel landed out of bounds.

“The rule used was the ‘toe-heel’ rule,” acting NFL vice president George Stewart said in a pool report. “What happened was he had one foot on the court and when he completed the second step he had his toe in the court but his heel landed on the white line out of bounds. So, at the end of the catch he didn’t have two feet in the field.

Asked what elements of the play were crucial in overturning the original decision, Stewart said: “He didn’t have both feet in the field. It was a toe heel. There was no resistance. It was a toe-down. That caused it to be an incomplete pass.”

Patriots first-year coach Jerod Mayo agreed with those in charge.

“It was close, but I think it was the right decision,” Mayo said.

The Patriots still had two more plays after the overturned decision to potentially score. Then, after the defense stopped the Dolphins to give the ball back to the Patriots at their own 43-yard line with 29 seconds left and no timeout, a last-ditch effort ended at the Dolphins’ 11-yard line.

Polk, a second-round pick from Washington, complained that the Patriots were in this situation because the offense was stagnant for long stretches and the team incurred a total of 12 penalties for 104 yards.

Brissett, who finished 18 of 34 for 160 yards, didn’t pass 100 yards until the fourth quarter.

The Patriots have lost four straight games since the start of the season, including a 16-10 road win against the Cincinnati Bengals. Mayo said last week that even in the Week 1 win over the Bengals, the lack of offensive firepower was “untenable,” raising questions about how close he might be to turning to rookie quarterback Drake Maye, the number one 3 overall in the draft.

The Patriots, who are averaging 12.4 points per game, have had instability along the offensive line, running five different combinations in the first five games. Their receiving corps also entered Sunday with the fewest receptions and receiving yards of any team in the NFL.

Specifically on the question of whether a quarterback change would make a difference, Mayo declined a question after Sunday’s loss about how big the gap was between Brissett and Maye.

“I don’t want to get into the breakup talks,” Mayo said. “I have to say that Jacoby is out there trying to do what we asked him to do from the start. He’s taken some serious hits and his toughness continues to show. The execution of the entire offense has to be better in the future.”