New England Patriots
“It’s Week 3, and at the same time we’ve got to have some fuel and realize that what we’re doing out there offensively is unacceptable. It’s been unacceptable for three weeks.”
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Patriots coach Mike Vrabel: ‘My concern level is very high for this football team’
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Jaguars 35, Patriots 6: Drake Maye’s struggles intensify in blowout loss
Drake Maye scratched his head after being asked to sum up his feelings following the Patriots’ 35-6 blowout loss to the Jaguars.
Maye turned the ball over three times in a performance that he called “unacceptable.” He had a pair of fumbles and lost one that appeared to just slip out of his hands. He also threw a pair of interceptions and ultimately rode the bench at the end of the game while Tommy DeVito finished.
“I think it’s disappointing,” Maye said. “I think the ball starts rolling like that and we can’t get out of our own way. Can’t get out of my own way, personally. I’ve got to look at myself in the mirror and take this as a turning point. It’s Week 3, and at the same time we’ve got to have some fuel and realize that what we’re doing out there offensively is unacceptable. It’s been unacceptable for three weeks.”
Maye killed a promising drive with yet another off-balance throw off of a bootleg. He was trying to hit Efton Chism in the end zone, but wound up throwing the ball right to Travis Hunter who recorded his first career NFL interception.
The Patriots, trailing by 11 at the time of Hunter’s interception, had third-and-goal and a chance to cut Jacksonville’s lead down to one score. They were never able to close the gap as Maye’s struggles persisted throughout the day.
Television cameras showed coach Mike Vrabel with his hands on Maye’s shoulders speaking to the quarterback on the sidelines following his second interception. The Patriots were down 28-3 at that point, and Jacksonville’s lead continued to swell.
Maye, who did not throw a touchdown pass against Jacksonville, has six interceptions and a lost fumble against one touchdown this season through three games.
Vrabel was asked if he saw signs of a slump from the third-year quarterback who was the runner-up for league MVP last year.
“I think he knows what to do. I think we have to do it better,” Vrabel said. “We all want to make plays, we just have to make some good ones and if it’s not there we have to make some great decisions. Sometimes you can want it too badly.”
Maye struggled throughout the postseason last year while the Patriots were on their unexpected run to the Super Bowl. He was hampered by a shoulder injury at the end and hasn’t looked quite the same since last year’s regular season ended.
Asked if there were any lingering effects from the injury, Maye said it wasn’t a problem.
“I think when you look back at the playoff run and the Denver game where I took the hit until now, I feel good,” Maye said. “I felt good during training camp and you continue to let it loose.”
Maye said he is making mental mistakes. After the season-opening loss to Seattle, Maye said he lost patience during his three-interception performance. This week, he said, he felt like he was simply getting in his own way.
“I think it’s getting out of my own way as well, personally,” Maye said. “These mistakes that I’m making personally are really [not] them beating us, I think it’s beating myself and realizing that there’s times last year when you have to flip to the next play and realize this league will humble you quick.”
“Just finding ways for me to step up when I’m not leading my best and still find way to lead the team. That’s what this position is about. As the quarterback of this football team, that’s my obligation, owning that.”
The ball seemed to just slip out of Maye’s hands on his first turnover, a fumble during which the ball had some of Jared Wilson’s blood on it according to the quarterback.
“You could say that,” Maye said with a shrug, when asked if the blood caused the slip. “At the same time, I’ve got to hold onto the football.”
The Patriots have to do a better job of making plays, Maye said. New England began last season 1-2 before finishing 14-3 and making an appearance in the Super Bowl.
So far, things seem more bleak this year, but the quarterback is holding out hope that the team will be able to turn things around.
“We were 1-2 last year and we kind of went on a roll and we’ve got a chance early in the season to put our head down and work and know that this is an opportunity to band together and realize that the best football that we play is together. That starts with me and protecting the football and protecting this team because that’s my job.”
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