FOXBORO — Joey Slye’s two missed field goals in Sunday’s 25-24 loss to the Colts couldn’t have been more different.

One was an absolute gimme, a field goal that a kicker should hit with his eyes closed six ways from Sunday. And the other was field goal that no NFL kicker has ever made.

Would it surprise you to know that Slye’s 68-yard attempt came closer than his 25-yard miss?

Related Articles

Patriots’ Jabrill Peppers opens up about return Sunday, not wearing captain patch vs. Colts

Takeaways from Patriots’ heartbreaking last-minute 25-24 loss to Colts

Patriots-Colts inactives: Jabrill Peppers active after returning to team

Four changes Patriots could make in Week 13 matchup vs. Colts

Patriots-Colts preview: How Drake Maye can secure a home win on Sunday

The Patriots had just allowed the Colts to take a 25-24 lead on a touchdown and two-point conversion on a 19-play, 80-yard drive when they got the ball back with 12 seconds and two timeouts from their own 30-yard line. Rather than attempt a Hail Mary, the Patriots instead tried for an NFL-record 68-yard field goal.

Rookie quarterback Drake Maye’s first pass fell incomplete to Hunter Henry. He then hit Henry for an 11-yard gain and called a timeout and a 9-yard gain and a timeout. It put the ball at the 50-yard line when Slye lined up for the 68-yarder. It was straight but fell a yard or two short of the goal posts.”

“That was 100% me. 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,” head coach Jerod Mayo said. “Not sure what the numbers are on Hail Marys versus the field goal there, but that’s what I felt was right.”

Conventional thinking says that teams do complete Hail Marys but a 68-yard field goal has never been made. But given how close Slye came, it was a defensible decision.

“I hit it clean. It was dead down the pipe from where I was looking,” Slye said after the loss. “I knew if I just got the distance, it would be fine. Cold weather today. A little wind in the face going that way, as well. I knew I had to put pretty much everything I had into it, just fell a bit short.”

Slye said he was not surprised by the Patriots’ decision to attempt the long field goal and that he’s hit from that distance in his life before in practice, but not when the temperature was near freezing. He hit from 61 and 62 yards during pre-game warmups. He’s hit from 65 yards before a game this season in New York.

Slye was asked if he was consulted on the decision.

“No, I think they understand how far I can kick,” Slye said. “So they’re just kind of like, ‘Hey, if we can get near the 50, we have an opportunity.”

Slye didn’t come close on a 25-yard field goal attempt at the end of the first half, missing the kick wide left.

He appeared to look down at punter/holder Bryce Baringer after the miss.

“Operation, I need to be better with my communication as a whole,” Slye said. “Just kind of, to be honest, a (expletive) situation.”

Mayo said it was “just a miss-hit. Nothing with the operation. It was a miss-hit.”

Baringer felt like he could have put the ball down better.

“I got to put a better spot down, I feel like. Obviously, I’ll watch the tape, but we’ve been operation really well the whole day … but I just feel like I need to put a better ball down in that situation. Obviously, like Joey said, communication, but it come down to execution, and I need to see if I could have done my part better. I feel crappy, but we’ll see what happened and we’ll work hard to fix it.”

Baringer said his holds are dependent on what Slye asks for. The Patriots kicker has a “normal lean” and “auxiliary ones” where he has different preferences.

“To be honest with you, I take full responsibility for this,” Slye said. “We had a short field goal at the end of the half that I’ve got to make. … I’ve got to be better. The team counts on me in those situations. Every point for this team matter with how we play complimentary football, our offense, defense special teams. So, whenever I’m out there, I’ve got to score points.”