FOXBORO — If there was one positive to be taken away from the Patriots’ 10-point loss at Miami Sunday, it may have been the pass-catching of Jakobi Meyers.
The second-year free agent out of North Carolina State had his second career 100-yard receiving game with seven catches for 111 yards.
“You don’t really judge a man when he’s up, but by when he’s down,” Meyers said after New England suffered its eighth loss of the season, 22-12 to the Dolphins to be eliminated from postseason consideration.
“You have to see what we’re made of and bounce back and see what we can do,” Meyers said as the Patriots turn their attention to preparing to host AFC East Division champ Buffalo in a nationally televised contest Monday night at Gillette Stadium.
Meyers took in a a career-high 12 receptions for a career-best 169 yards at the New York Jets on Nov. 9.
Against Miami, Meyers caught four passes during the second half for 87 yards, including a 35-yard grab to advance the ball to the Miami 46-yard line in the third quarter, setting up the third of Nick Folk’s four field goals.
“We have to execute better, especially me,” Meyers said after logging his fifth game this season with five or more receptions. “The team put me in position to make plays to help the team win and I didn’t do my best to the best of my ability.”
The Patriots were denied access to the end zone for the second straight game and will miss the playoffs since the Tom Brady-less 2008 season and their first non-winning season since 2000.
Meyers was targeted 10 times in the game by Cam Newton. Meyers now has a team-best 616 receiving yards on the season on a team-best 49 catches, four more than Damiere Byrd and ahead of running back James White (42 catches).
“We’ve got to execute better,” Meyers said, fumbling the ball before making his 35-yard catch.
Two plays into the second half, Meyers grabbed a pass over the middle from Newton and advanced the ball 20 yards to the New England 49, but then lost control of the ball.
“I can’t let that happen again,” Meyers said. “The coach keeps trusting me with the ball in my hands, that’s something that I have to hold dear to my heart. I can’t let it happen again, keep putting the ball in the ground like that. If I want the ball, I’ve got to take care of it.”
The Patriots converted third down situations just twice with Newton being sacked three times, completing just eight first half passes for 66 yards as the Patriots owned possession for 15 less minutes than Miami.
“It’s a team sport, you’re not going out there and playing by yourself,” Meyers said of the Patriots’ struggles on offense over the past two weekends. “It’s a group effort and we have to pull it togther as a group to fix it.”
The Patriots had possession of the ball for two series in each of the four quarters, totaling just 52 offensive plays. Only once, advancing to the Miami 18-yard line late in the second quarter did New England’s offense reach the red zone – that resulting in Folk’s second field goal and a 6-0 Patriot lead at intermission.
The Patriots scored on four of their eight offensive series.
“We understand what was at stake, we have to take it on the chin and bounce back — we’re hurting,” Meyers said of the Patriots not to be practicing for a playoff game in nearly two decades. “We have to keep fighting. We started something and we have to finish.
“It doesn’t matter if we’re playing for the post-season or not, or playing just to play,” he added. “We get to play – it’s something you love. You have to put your best foot forward every time. Personally, you go out there and keep trying to improve at the game and get better every day.”
Bailey, Gilmore, Slater make Pro Bowl
Punter Jake Bailey, cornerback Stephon Gilmore and special teams captain Matthew Slater were selected from the Patriots on Monday to play in the Pro Bowl, which will be held as a week-long virtual event instead of on the field due to COVID-19.
It is Bailey’s first career Pro Bowl. The second-year punter leads the NFL with a net average of 46.1 yards per punt and ranks second in the AFC with an average of 48.7 yards per punt. Bailey also leads the AFC with 24 punts downed inside the opponent 20-yard line.
Gilmore, a nine-year veteran, made his fourth Pro Bowl, and his third straight with the Patriots. He has started all 11 games this season and has 37 tackles, one interception, three passes defensed and one forced fumble.
Slater extends his record for most special teams Pro Bowl honors in NFL history with his ninth appearance. Steve Tasker is second with seven. Slater is now tied with John Hannah for the second-most Pro Bowl selections in franchise history, behind the 14 by Tom Brady. The former fifth-round draft pick out of UCLA earned a roster position with the Patriots as a rookie in 2008 on special teams.