“It was disappointing,” coach Jerod Mayo said after New England’s 30-17 loss. “There comes a point in time as a football team where everyone in the stadium knows what the play is. We just have to move bodies. We weren’t able to do that.”

Asked if the Patriots have shown they’re the type of team that can “move bodies,” given the struggles of the offensive line, Mayo stood by his players.

“We have guys in there that are physically tough, mentally tough,” he said. “My expectation for them is that we can always move bodies. Unfortunately, we didn’t do that today.”

Mayo’s remarks suggest that the Cardinals expected the Patriots to run the ball in those short-yardage situations.

But why wasn’t a quarterback sneak an option?

Asked if he would consider giving the ball to Maye, given his ability to make plays with his legs, Mayo dodged the question and appeared to question the play-calling.

“You said it,” he said. “I didn’t.”

The Patriots have been resistant to calling a quarterback sneak this season, even when Jacoby Brissett, who historically has found success, was the starter.

Sunday wasn’t the first time the Patriots have gotten stuffed on third and 1 or fourth and 1, yet offensive coordinator Alex Van Pelt still doesn’t seem interested in a quarterback sneak.

Asked to clarify if Van Pelt is the one making the decision not to use Maye, Mayo backtracked and attempted to take ownership.

“It’s always my decision,” Mayo said. “The quarterback, obviously, has a good pair of legs and does a good job running the ball. We just chose not to do it there.”

Van Pelt has made it clear he doesn’t plan on calling designed quarterback runs, saying Maye gets enough opportunities via scrambling.

Van Pelt has preached the importance of protecting Maye, whose mobility is one of his more impressive qualities.

Not using Maye in a quarterback sneak, however, could be holding back the offense. Even Maye acknowledged he should be viewed as an asset in those situations.

“I was a good quarterback sneaker in college,” he said. “I’m a big dude. I’m heavier than people think.

I think there’s maybe a conversation for that. I think it’s tough to stop a 6-foot-5 dude for 1 yard. Also, at the same time, Rhamondre’s pretty dang good at getting 1 yard as well.”

On 31 third-and-1 or fourth-and-1 plays this season, the Patriots have converted 51.6 percent of the time. That ranks 26th in the NFL. The Rams lead the league, with an 80-percent conversion rate.

The Patriots have handed off to Stevenson on 11 of those, and he’s converted five times for a success rate of 45.4 percent. They have not once attempted a quarterback sneak with Maye.

The NFL recently conducted a study on the frequency and success rate of quarterback sneaks, following the advent and rise of the “tush push.”

The number of quarterback sneaks across the league has been steadily increasing, with the most dramatic jumps coming in recent years.

According to data from 2017-22, traditional quarterback sneaks, without the assistance of a push from behind, had a success rate of 88.3 percent between the 20-yard lines and 80.6 percent in the red zone.

The Patriots had two chances to pick up a yard deep into their opponent’s territory Sunday and opted not to use one of the more popular and successful calls in that situation. That decision warrants second-guessing.

With the Patriots struggling to move the ball early — they had just 95 yards of offense in the first half — the importance of finishing drives becomes even more apparent.

They ended up scoring touchdowns on their next two trips inside the red zone, but the game was already out of hand.

When Van Pelt speaks to the media, scheduled for Wednesday, it’ll be worth gauging whether he might be more open to incorporating quarterback sneaks — especially when both Mayo and Maye seem to be in favor of it.

“Definitely, there’s a time and place for it,” Maye said.