4 Patriots Who Let Drake Maye Down in First NFL Start
By Ryan Bunton
3. Ja'Lynn Polk
A week after catching a would-be game-winning touchdown that was ruled as an incomplete pass upon review, Polk was essentially a non-factor in Sunday's loss.
Polk had two huge drops on Sunday, both drive-killers on third down. With New England's offense struggling immensely to move the ball downfield all season, missed opportunities on third down are not something that the offense can afford. This isn't the first time that the rookie has had issues with drops.
So Ja'Lynn Polk may have a drop problem
— Taylor Kyles (@tkyles39) October 13, 2024
It's crept up at times this season, but that's his second today
Polk caught one pass for 4 yards (on the final play of regulation in garbage time) on four targets.
When New England's draft class was complete in April, many Patriots fans were hoping that Maye would be able to build a strong rapport with the receivers that New England had. The Patriots selected Polk in the second round and UCF receiver Javon Baker in the fourth. Obviously, Polk and Maye failed to click on Sunday, although his connection with DeMario "Pop" Douglas was promising. Douglas caught six passes for 92 yards and a touchdown – the first of his career.
In fairness, one game is quite a limited sample size for the Maye-Polk connection.
Meanwhile, Baker has yet to be active for a game this season – a worrying sign through six games.