After the New England Patriots defeated the Pittsburgh Steelers by a score of 20-3 in Week 2, I had this to say about Drake Maye, who hadn't been good since the start of the playoffs:
"Young quarterbacks go through ups and downs all the time, and that's exactly what's going on with Maye. He is going to be fine, and he is going to prove to everyone that last year wasn't a fluke; it was just the beginning of something special."
It has been six days, and New England has played just one game since I wrote that, yet I'm already changing my tone a little bit.
Admittedly, I am starting to get a bit worried about Maye, who went 14-for-25 (56%) and threw for 199 yards, no touchdowns, and two interceptions (including a pick-six) against the Jacksonville Jaguars on Sunday.
I'm not ready to give up on him yet, but I can't deny that he has been arguably the worst starting quarterback in the NFL through three weeks, and he looks like a shell of what he was last year.
There is still a ton of time for the UNC alum to turn things around, but at this point last week, I was at about an 8 out of 10 on the "I still believe Maye is the Patriots' quarterback of the future." Now? I'm at about a 6... and dropping.
Drake Maye has been awful for the Patriots this season
Through three games, Maye has thrown for 585 yards, one touchdown, and a league-leading six interceptions (Justin Herbert, Cooper Rush, and Matthew Stafford are all tied for the second-most with four interceptions). He has also fumbled the ball twice, losing one on an inexcusable error (apparently, Jared Wilson's blood was on the ball, and that's what caused it to slip. I have so many questions about this one -- it's just weird altogether).
The turnovers are bad on their own, but it's how he's turning the ball over that is extremely worrying. He continues to make boneheaded interceptions trying to play hero ball instead of just throwing it away and avoiding a disaster. Even the starting quarterback of my old high school would know not to throw to a covered Efton Chism in the end zone.
Maye also isn't making enough positive plays to make up for his turnovers. Guys like Josh Allen and Brett Favre make/made boneheaded decisions all the time (Favre led the NFL in interceptions three times, and his 336 career picks are the most in NFL history -- George Blanda is second with 277), but they also knew how to make up for it in other ways.
The same can't be said for Maye right now, who doesn't seem to be learning from his mistakes and is somehow finding new ways to end a possession early.
Maye looks like a completely different quarterback than he was last year. He's missing throws he made all of last season. His pocket presence/confidence is completely gone. And all the problems he had with his footwork entering the league (which were mostly fixed last season) are back. There is still a ton of time for him to turn things back around, but his play is incredibly concerning.
Drake Maye can find his groove again with the Patriots
For as much (deserved) bashing Maye is getting, there are some important things to keep in mind:
1) With Jaxson Dart out for the season, the North Carolina native is the youngest starting quarterback currently in the NFL, 2) he has gone through a gauntlet of elite defenses since the beginning of the playoffs (and I don't just mean really good defenses; I mean some of the best defenses we have seen in the 2020s), and it makes sense for a young quarterback to still be reeling from that, and 3) he won't fix all of the Patriots' problems, but getting A.J. Brown back in a month or so should greatly help Maye and the offense.
It was also incredibly risky for New England to move on from Stefon Diggs and Kayshon Boutte in the same offseason, considering how important each of them was to Maye's success last season. Right now, it doesn't look like there's anyone on the offense he can trust (besides Mack Hollins), and it's showing.
I don't think this is another Mac Jones situation. Maye reached way higher highs than Jones ever did/will and is a better and more talented quarterback anyway. I still think Maye can turn things around and prove that he's just in a slump right now, but for the first time in over two years, I could see a world where the Patriots are in the market for a new quarterback relatively soon.
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