The New England Patriots actually pulled off a win against the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sunday, but you know what? The chatter isn’t about a celebration in Foxborough. Aaron Rodgers took an absolute beating, getting hit seven times and sacked four times. Honestly, it sounds like he probably felt like a total ‘Jacas’ out there. The real head-scratcher, though, is how lifelong Seahawks fan Macklemore is persona non grata at Gillette Stadium this week, and what that says about the “disjointed” Patriots offense with Drake Maye’s “slump” firmly in the spotlight.
Maye’s Accuracy Struggles and a Stout Defense
Despite the victory, local sports talk radio and a good number of experts are straight-up worried about Drake Maye. They’re hitting hard on his “slump,” a “loss of accuracy,” and an offense that’s just “disjointed” and “needs to be figured out.” Vinnie Iyer from Sporting News points out the Patriots leaned heavily on the run game and defense due to A.J. Brown’s injury limiting the passing attack. Ian Glendon from Full Press Coverage went so far as to say the defense should collect the offense’s paycheck, especially after holding Pittsburgh to a measly three points. That’s serious praise for the D, but a serious knock on the O. NFL Nation at ESPN just flat out said Maye’s accuracy “isn’t what he’s accustomed to.” Ouch. It’s good to get the W while cleaning up early-season kinks, sure, but those kinks are looking pretty big right now.
Underdogs in Jacksonville and the AFC Grind
This week, the Patriots are heading to Jacksonville as 2.5-point underdogs against the 1-1 Jaguars. The Jags kicked off their season with a dominant 34-10 home win over the Browns in Week 1, but then stumbled in Week 2, losing 20-13 at Denver after blowing a 13-3 third-quarter lead. Jags QB Trevor Lawrence is way quicker than Rodgers, so this won’t be an easy ride for that Patriots defense. Nate Davis from USA Today noted the Pats have now won seven in a row against teams not based in the Pacific Northwest, which is an interesting streak, especially with the Macklemore ban happening! While the AFC East sees the 2-0 Bills facing the 0-2 Chargers, and the 1-1 Jets playing the 1-1 Lions, the Pats need to step up big to prove they’re a contender in this league.
The author of the source article believes the Patriots catch a win Sunday and return home 2-1, but the heat is definitely on Maye and that offense to prove the experts wrong. Can they finally get in sync on the road? Meanwhile, back here in the Emerald City, our Seahawks are doing just fine, thank you very much, rolling over the Arizona Cardinals 31-7. Go Hawks!
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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