Patriots offensive coordinator Alex Van Pelt will not lose his play-calling responsibilities despite New England’s struggles this season. TNS

While the New England Patriots’ quarterback might be different next week, the play-caller will remain the same.

Coach Jerod Mayo said Monday morning in a video conference call with the media that making a change at offensive play-caller is “not under consideration.”

Offensive coordinator Alex Van Pelt is in his first year as the Patriots’ play-caller. He joined Mayo’s staff in February after being fired by the Browns following the 2023 season.

Van Pelt has coached in the NFL since 2006 but has little play-calling experience. Head coach Kevin Stefanski called plays in Cleveland. Van Pelt did call plays as the Buffalo Bills’ offensive coordinator during the 2009 season but was fired with the rest of the coaching staff following that season.

For the second time this year, the Patriots did not manage the clock well at the end of the first half of Sunday’s 15-10 loss to the Miami Dolphins. They got the ball back with 1:50 remaining and took just 48 seconds off the clock before being forced to punt. The Dolphins would have scored if a field-goal attempt wasn’t aborted by a bad long snap.

The Patriots got the ball back with 28 seconds left and actually were forced to punt again after three straight passing plays took just 12 seconds. The Dolphins ran twice before time expired.

The Patriots had a similar situation in Week 2, but the Seattle Seahawks were actually able to capitalize with a field goal to end the half. The Patriots got the ball with 1:37 remaining and ran just 50 seconds off before punting. The Seahawks then put together a six-play, 26-yard drive before kicking a field goal, and New England lost by three points in overtime.

“It was like a carbon copy of that game,” Mayo said. “What I would say is, our execution throughout the season, at the end of the half and end of the game, they just have to be better. And that’s exactly what you saw at the end of the game where we ran out of time. Once again it wasn’t the call. It was just … we didn’t execute the play call.”

Van Pelt also drew criticism in Sunday’s game for throwing four straight times after the Patriots got down to the Dolphins’ 12 with three timeouts and 1:13 left. The Patriots averaged 7.9 yards per carry and just 4.1 yards per dropback. All four passes fell incomplete, and New England turned the ball over on downs.

The team got the ball one last time with 29 seconds left at their 43 with no timeouts. Brissett completed a 21-yard pass before spiking the ball with 12 seconds remaining, then used the final play to throw to tight end Hunter Henry in the middle of the field at the 11. The Patriots did not have enough time to stop the clock, and the game ended. Brissett did appear to have better options with DeMario Douglas running toward the sideline and wide receiver Ja’Lynn Polk close to the end zone.

The Patriots do have one coach with play-calling experience in senior offensive assistant Ben McAdoo. Their quarterbacks coach, T.C. McCartney, has never been a coordinator.