The New England Patriots finally called some designed runs for Drake Maye on Sunday. This comes after weeks of the team being reluctant to call the athletic rookie's number on runs.

In Sunday's loss to the Buffalo Bills, the Patriots called multiple QB keepers in addition to a couple of quarterback sneaks. What changed? That was the question posed to Patriots coach Jerod Mayo on WEEI's Greg Hill Show on Monday. As for the answer, Mayo didn't provide much in terms of direct insight.

"We all are trying to win a football game, players and coaches included," Mayo said. "We're always going to do what's best for the team. That was what was best for the team yesterday and he used his legs and made a couple plays."

It's a response that feels like it was pulled straight out of Bill Belichick's playbook. It sort of answers the question, but doesn't provide any juicy quotes.

That's been a recurring theme since Sunday's loss. Mayo was noticeably buttoned-up in his postgame comments and sounded like a coach who wanted to give less away to the media.

The answer likely lies between the lines. So far this season, the Patriots have been prioritizing Maye's health. The fewer runs they call for him, the less often he gets hit. In a season that's already gotten away from them, why risk putting the future of the franchise in danger?

Well, it seems like the risk may be worth it if the reward is high enough. After their strong start in Buffalo, the Patriots had a strong chance to pull off their biggest win of the season. It's the same motivation that likely drove the decision to call a fake punt on their own side of the field.

The Patriots needed this win -- badly. So they pulled out all the stops, including some long-overdue runs by Maye. As a result, Maye finished with six rushes for 30 yards -- the same number of carries and yards as Josh Allen had for Buffalo.

With that said, having Maye run the ball isn't a magic cure-all for the Patriots offense. The first time Maye kept the ball was on a play where he faked a handoff and scooted to the left.

It didn't work, as tight end Hunter Henry was called for a hold.

However, Mayo says that it wasn't fully on the tight end. The coach said that Maye could have set the play up for success by making a better decision.

"I don't really put that holding penalty on Hunter, per se. I think Drake, as he watches the film, he would see that if he just went downhill it wouldn't be a hold of that same. That same position that Hunter was in, is the exact same position on stretch run plays that offensive tackles are in. When they think the winning back is going to cut back, but he continues to go outside and you're like, 'Oh shoot!' Just that slight tug and they called it."

With two games to go this season, the Patriots have shown that they're willing and able to run the ball with their quarterback if the situation calls for it.

The only question is whether any of those situations will come up before now and the end of Maye's rookie year.