New England Patriots wide receiver Kayshon Boutte (9) hauls in a touchdown pass to give the Patriots a 17-13 lead in the first half of their game at Nissan Stadium in Nashville, Tenn., Sunday, Oct. 19, 2025. Mandatory Credit: Denny Simmons / The Tennessean / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images.
By Sam Neumann on

Jason McCourty probably wishes he’d kept his mouth shut about Josh McDaniels.

The NFL on CBS analyst was calling Sunday’s Patriots-Titans game in Nashville when he made what seemed like a safe observation about New England’s approach to the final moments of the first half. With under a minute to play and the Patriots trailing 13-10, McCourty explained what anyone who’s watched McDaniels knows: the offensive coordinator has a “last shot mentality” and wants to make sure his team holds the ball going into halftime.

“The Patriots aren’t going to go too fast,” McCourty said. “Josh McDaniels, the offensive coordinator, he has a last shot mentality. He wants to make sure they end this half with the ball.”

Drake Maye immediately threw a 40-yard bomb to Kayshon Boutte on the very next play.

The touchdown gave New England a 17-13 lead with 49 seconds left in the half. The Patriots wouldn’t trail again, eventually winning 31-13 in Mike Vrabel’s return to Tennessee. Maye finished 21-of-23 for 222 yards and two touchdowns, breaking Tom Brady’s franchise record for completion percentage in a single game.

McCourty took the ribbing in stride. He quoted the video of his call on social media with a self-deprecating message: “Next time I have NE I’ll be sure to tell Josh and Drake I hate them for this lol.”

McCourty spent three seasons with the Patriots from 2018-20, winning Super Bowl LIII alongside his twin brother Devin, who is also now in the media, too. He played under McDaniels and McCourty knows the offense as well as any analyst currently calling games. The Patriots traded for McCourty in 2018 specifically to reunite the McCourty twins in New England’s secondary.

That familiarity probably explains why McCourty felt confident making the call. McDaniels does have a well-earned reputation for managing two-minute situations conservatively when he wants to. The problem was Maye had other ideas.

The 23-year-old quarterback has been on a tear since taking over as the starter. Sunday marked his sixth consecutive game with at least 200 passing yards and a passer rating over 100. Last week, he became the third quarterback under 24 to accomplish that streak of five games, joining Dan Marino and Patrick Mahomes.

Maye’s deep ball to Boutte traveled 52.6 air yards, according to Next Gen Stats. He’s the only quarterback this season with two touchdown passes that traveled at least 50 yards in the air.

That’s the quarterback McCourty was analyzing when he made his McDaniels prediction. McCourty wasn’t wrong about McDaniels’ tendencies. He just picked the wrong moment to explain them. Maye is playing at a level where those old rules don’t apply.

About Sam Neumann

Since the beginning of 2023, Sam has been a staff writer for Awful Announcing and The Comeback. A 2021 graduate of Temple University, Sam is a Charlotte native, who currently calls Greenville, South Carolina his home. He also has a love/hate relationship with the New York Mets and Jets.

View all posts by Sam Neumann