JACKSONVILLE – The Patriots have a quarterback problem. That was a sentence I didn’t think I’d be typing in September of 2026. But Drake Maye has rarely looked like the player who nearly won the NFL MVP award last season.
In his place is a 24-year-old who looks lost, unsure what he’s seeing, where he’s supposed to go with the football, and, even if he is certain, how to get it there (velocity? touch?), though he doesn’t seem to share that same sentiment, at least publicly.
“Yeah, I didn’t hesitate much,” Maye said. “I thought we had some plays, and there’s some different plays we wish we had back. That’s every week, so I wouldn’t say I was hesitating or tucking it early or kind of scrambling out of the pocket early. You know, I felt like the guys in front are battling hard, and we got to do some things- for myself – to move the chains.”
His head coach doesn’t share the same opinion. Mike Vrabel was very matter-of-fact about this quarterback, not sheltering him too much from the criticism that is and will come.
“I think he knows what to do,” he said. “I think we have to do it better. We all want to make plays. We just have to make ‘em good ones. If it’s not there, we have to make great decisions. I think sometimes you can want it too badly. We can’t force anything.”
That has become the troubling truth about Maye during this stretch. He had two more interceptions today and a fumble (6 INTs in 12 quarters this year). All three were brutal mistakes that cost the Patriots either points or a shot at a comeback.
“It’s disappointing,” said Maye. “We can’t get out of our way, and I can’t get out of my own way, personally. So we gotta – I gotta look myself in the mirror and move, and take this as a turning point. It’s week three at the same time. We gotta have some fuel and realize that what we’re doing out there offensively is unacceptable.”
The first turnover came with the Pats at the Jaguars’ 35-yard line. It was first down. Maye looked like he wanted Kyle Williams, but as he got ready to pull the trigger, he second-guessed himself. Hesitant, perhaps? As he recoiled, the ball slipped out.
“Jared (Wilson) happened to be bleeding on his hand and got the football and was trying to put one to Kyle and slipped out of my hand,” Maye said.
Was the fumble a result of the blood?
“I mean, you could say that, but at the same time, I got to hold on to the football,” he responded.
When asked about Maye’s comments, Wilson shrugged, saying, “It’s part of football. An unfortunate situation.”
Maye and the Patriots had another chance to score before the half ended, down 14-3. Faced with a third-and-goal at the two, the Jags sent the house, a cover zero blitz. Maye escaped the pocket, but there was nothing there. Instead of throwing it out of the end zone or running, he tried to jam the ball into Efton Chism. On the live look, I didn’t hate the decision, as defensive back Travis Hunter had his back turned. But on review, that was brief, and there was no window to get the pass to a sub-6-foot receiver.
“Try to give Efton a chance to score and get some momentum going into halftime,” he said.
The final nail came late in the third, after the Jags had taken a 21-3 lead (a 15-play, 72-yard, 8:42 drive). Maye stared down Williams like he was the only guy on the field. He most definitely was not. Jarrian Jones read the third-year pro’s eyes, stepped in front of the throw, and took the interception back to the 5-yard line. One play later, another Jags touchdown, and that was that.
“Shouldn’t have thrown it,” Maye said.
No duh. Maye’s decision-making was a
