Drake Maye and the New England Patriots collapsed as they lost to the Jacksonville Jaguars 35-6 behind turnovers and missed opportunities. This has been a recurring theme for the team throughout the young season, but the floodgates were open in Week 3. With the organization falling to 1-2, the offense committed too many costly mistakes that proved to be too much to overcome.
Maye has been struggling for most of the season, but he played the Patriots out of the game against the Jaguars. In Week 3, he threw for 199 yards on 14-of-25 passing with two interceptions and two fumbles, one lost. For the third consecutive week, he struggled to lead New England in the redzone when in scoring position, thus leaving points on the field.
During the game in Week 3, Maye made many questionable decisions. His first interception came when he threw toward Efton Chism III near the goal line, when Travis Hunter was smothering him in coverage. The second interception came when Maye threw the ball late to Kyle Williams when he was smothered in coverage by Jarrian Jones. With most of the turnovers resulting from poor decision-making, questions about whether Maye is learning from his mistakes are growing.
“I think it’s getting out of my own way,” said Maye. “I feel like these mistakes that I’m making personally aren’t them beating us, it’s [me] beating myself. Realizing that there are times where you have to flip to the next play. Realize that this league will humble you quick”.
Like any quarterback, Maye made mistakes last season, but he seemingly learned from them. He only threw eight interceptions last year, showing an ability limit turnovers and poor decisions. Meanwhile, Maye is making the same slip-ups this year over and over, which is the cause of his six interceptions.
Along with the turnovers, Maye missed some throws that would have helped the Patriots score. After connecting with DeMario Douglas for a 38-yard reception, he overthrew him two plays later on a walk-in touchdown opportunity. This was another issue Maye had last season, when he tended to throw passes too high to open receivers.
New England finds itself in a situation similar to last season, when the Patriots started 1-2. Though they have much higher expectations this season, they managed to overcome obstacles and develop as the year went on. With the repeat slow start, Maye expressed that he and the team can battle through adversity and improve.
“We were 1-2 last year and we kind of went on a roll. We got a chance earlier in the season and put our head down and work,” said Maye. “The best football we play is together and that starts with me. Protecting the football and protecting this team. That’s my job and I’ve been failing to do that.”
Though Maye’s performance did himself no favors, he wasn’t the Patriots’ sole offensive concern. In the first two weeks of the season, the New England offense looked to improve its pass protection and running game. Unfortunately, they were without both in Week 3.
The Patriots offense struggled to run the ball, as they recorded 83 yards on 26 carries. The leading rushers were TreVeyon Henderson and Rhamondre Stevenson, who only combined for 45 yards. This lackluster rushing offense was sharply different than the one that gained 136 yards on the ground last week against the Pittsburgh Steelers.
New England’s offensive line has also taken a noticeable decline in Week 3. In the first game of the season, the unit wasn’t perfect, but they displayed improvement against the Seattle Seahawks. Since then, they have returned to being a major concern as Maye was sacked three times and hit five times. Maye faced much pressure, which impacted his ability to step up in the pocket and led to him scrambling outside.
“My concern level is very high for this football team,” said Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel. ” I just want to coach and improve. So, I think that’s the biggest thing once you come off a game like that. You just want to get back and work”.
With the decline of the rushing game and pass protection, the Patriots also had an issue with penalties. In the game against the Jaguars, they were penalized nine times for 68 yards. These penalties took away scoring chances, as Morgan Moses was called for a hold when Maye rushed in for a would-be touchdown.
“There’s too many that get us beat,” said Vrabel. ” Turnovers, not taking advantage of their turnover opportunities. Penalties. Sudden change. Things that we’re usually good at”.
What’s your take? Post it in our free sports community at stadiumrant.app, or download Stadium Rant on the App Store.
Maye and the New England offense needed a strong performance to defeat Jacksonville, but they simply couldn’t generate much production. For the third week in a row, the Patriots’ offense has shown issues with turnovers and an inability to take advantage of scoring opportunities. Next week, they will have to be on the road again to face their divisional rival, the Buffalo Bills. If the offense continues to stack poor performances, the mounting criticism could push them to make some drastic changes.
If you love sports, download Stadium Rant from the Apple App Store and join one of the fastest-growing social sports communities. Be sure to follow us on socials too — you can find all our profiles on our Linktree.
