Drake Maye is flat-out struggling to kick off the 2026 NFL season, and his New England Patriots are already sitting at a shaky 1-2. With receiver A.J. Brown sidelined with an ankle injury, Maye’s early performance is a massive red flag. Through just three weeks, he’s only thrown one passing touchdown, but he’s already racked up six interceptions and two fumbles. That’s a brutal start for any quarterback, let alone one trying to lead his team back to relevance.
Maye’s 2026 Struggles Are Staggering
Honestly, it’s hard to watch. This isn’t the guy we saw almost grab an MVP in the 2025 regular season, not even close. Maye has regressed significantly, becoming incredibly turnover-prone. He’s not just making mistakes here and there; he’s leading the entire NFL in interceptions right now with six. You add his two fumbles to that, and he’s already well on his way to topping the league in total turnovers this year. The Patriots aren’t just losing, they’re losing with their starting quarterback putting up some of the worst production we’ve seen from any QB in the last half-decade.
Dubious History With Jameis Winston? Say It Ain’t So!
And here’s the real gut punch for Patriots fans: CBS Sports researcher Doug Clawson dropped a stat that Maye absolutely does not want his name attached to. According to Clawson, “Drake Maye has 9 fumbles and 10 INT since the start of last postseason.” This brutal stretch, spanning his 2025 playoff run and the first three games of 2026, puts him in truly infamous company. He’s the first player to hit 9+ fumbles and 10+ INTs in a seven-game span since Jameis Winston did it back in 2019, during Winston’s wild 30-touchdown, 30-interception season. During Maye’s playoff run last year, he threw four picks, which is bad enough, but he added an incomprehensibly high seven fumbles! When you combine that with his early 2026 numbers, the comparison to Winston, the poster child for turnover-prone quarterbacks, becomes painfully clear. Winston’s own seven-game stretch in 2019 had nine fumbles and a shocking fifteen interceptions, so Maye isn’t *quite* there yet on the picks, but the fumbles are identical. This is the exact wrong kind of NFL history to be making.
This kind of play is a massive step backward for Maye. From a near MVP to this level of turnover liability, it makes you wonder what’s going on up there in New England. While other NFL action has been wild, like Marcus Mariota stunning our own Seahawks as the Commanders barely escaped an 0-3 start, Maye’s struggles stand out. The Patriots are going to need him to clean it up fast, or their season could be over before it truly begins. The league is watching, and right now, they’re seeing an alarmingly turnover-prone quarterback.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by The Sporting News.
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