Drake Maye was announced as AFC Offensive Player of October last Wednesday, an honor reflective of his impressive turnaround. After struggling mightily over the first three weeks of the season, the New England Patriots quarterback rebounded nicely to take home the accolade.
Four days later, the very same early-season Drake Maye made his return. He helped set the stage for the Patriots getting blown out at the hands of the Green Bay Packers.
Maye turned the ball over three times during the 45-27 defeat, tossing a trio of interceptions in the first half that contributed to his team finding itself in an early hole it failed to get out of. And while the second-year passer did have some promising moments as well, those were once again overshadowed by his ball-security concerns.
“We haven’t had a clean, a turnover-free game yet. It’s starting with me,” Maye said during his post-game presser at Gillette Stadium. “It’s one of the biggest differences between winning and losing football games. I put our defense in a bad spot on the first drive, just gave them the football, had some other chances down the field, and have to see in front.”
Sunday’s loss to the Packers was Maye’s second three-interception game of the season, making him the only player in the league with multiple such games on his record. On the year, Maye has now thrown 11 picks — tied with the Chargers’ Justin Herbert for most in the NFL.
The first of his picks versus Green Bay already set the tone for the rest of the day. On his first pass attempt, Maye maneuvered a muddy pocket and lifted a floater across the body intended for wide receiver Mack Hollins. Instead of hitting his target, however, the ball landed in the waiting arms of safety Xavier McKinney. McKinney returned the interception 36 yards to set his offense up at the New England 9.
Two players later the Packers took a 7-0 lead that continued to grow with the offense unable to find its rhythm. Even when it did, Maye’s interceptions quickly halted any progress.
He threw a second pick early in the second period, on a play reminiscent of his first interception of the year. Just like in Week 1, when he was targeting Romeo Doubs deep down the left sideline, he attempted to connect with Kyle Williams only to see the pass broken up and intercepted on the deflection.
Two possessions later, after the Patriots had decreased their deficit to 17-7 with a 30-yard touchdown pass from Maye to Rhamondre Stevenson, McKinney registered another pick when he undercut a throw intended for Eli Raridon.
“Just throwing the football in spots that I don’t think I should have thrown it,” said Maye about his three INTs. “The first one, I think I just got to see the guys deep, see the safety positions. The second one happens, maybe throw it a little farther. And the third one, they’re jumping cross routes, so I got to see in front.”
Besides preventing three Patriots scoring opportunities, the interceptions also directly set up two Packers touchdowns. As a consequence, they were able to build a 24-7 advantage at one point.
New England later turned the ball over a fourth time when Rhamondre Stevenson lost a fumble in the third quarter. The Patriots themselves registered no takeaways and are therefore now -11 on the year — tied for the league’s worst turnover differential through nine weeks.
“When you’re playing a good football team, and when you turn the ball over like we did and give them plus field position, obviously it just wasn’t good enough,” said tight end Hunter Henry. “We’ve got to find a way to play a clean game offensively and not give them chances. It’s continued to bite us against the better teams that we play, and they’re going to take full advantage of that.”
