The New England Patriots just got absolutely hammered, losing 35-6 to the Jacksonville Jaguars on Sunday, and quarterback Drake Maye didn’t mince words, calling the offensive performance “unacceptable.” He wasn’t wrong. Maye coughed up the ball three more times in that game, bringing his season total to a shocking six interceptions in just three starts. That’s a brutal contrast to the eight picks he threw all of last season, and it’s got everyone wondering what the heck is going on.
Maye’s Turnovers: A Play-by-Play Disaster
This wasn’t just a bad game, it was a turnover festival for Maye, who now has seven giveaways on the year. It started in the second quarter with a bizarre play: the ball slipped right out of his hand mid-throw. Maye blamed it on Jared Wilson, saying he “happened to be bleeding on his hand,” and the ball was meant for Kyle Williams. “Slipped out of my hand,” Maye admitted. “I have to hold on to the football.”
But it didn’t stop there. Later in that same quarter, Maye forced a pass into the end zone for Efton Chism III, resulting in an interception. “Second one down there, just forcing it. Trying to give Chiz a chance to score and get some momentum going into halftime,” he explained. Then, in the second half, he threw a late pass to Kyle Williams along the sideline for his second pick of the day. “Had a one-on-one matchup outside. Shouldn’t have thrown it,” Maye confessed. When your quarterback is saying he “shouldn’t have thrown it” multiple times in one game, you know things are rough.
Struggles, Excuses, and the Road Ahead
Maye has looked uncomfortable and indecisive out there, and the Patriots’ offense is struggling big time to find any kind of consistency. Head coach Mike Vrabel tried to put a positive spin on it, saying, “I think he knows what to do. I think we have to do it better. We all want to make plays. We just have to make them good ones. And if it’s not there, we have to make a great decision. And I think sometimes you can want it too badly and we can’t force anything.” Maye pushed back on being hesitant, stating, “I wouldn’t say hesitant. I think I’m back there seeing it and we just got to make plays. I got to make throws.”
Adding to the complexity, Maye is dealing with a new cast of characters. The team is missing No. 1 wide receiver A.J. Brown, and free-agent addition Romeo Doubs has gotten off to a slow start. Maye downplayed any lingering effects from the right throwing shoulder injury he suffered in last year’s AFC Championship Game, saying everyone is “a little” banged up, but added: “I wouldn’t say there’s a problem with my shoulder.”
The Patriots are now 1-2, a familiar spot since they started last season with the same record before somehow rattling off 10 straight wins. To pull off another comeback, Maye needs a drastic turnaround next week when they face the Buffalo Bills. He knows it, too. “We got a chance to earlier in the season, to put our head down and work,” Maye said, emphasizing the need to “band together and realize that the best football that we play is together.” He concluded with a sharp dose of self-awareness: “that’s going to start with me protecting the football and protecting this team, because that’s my job and I’ve been failing to do that.” It’s time for him to walk the talk.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Pats Pulpit.
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