Drake Maye’s rough opener in Seattle didn’t shake Patriots fans nearly as much as it might have on the outside.
New England’s quarterback started his third NFL season with a brutal finish, throwing three fourth-quarter interceptions after the Patriots had built a 10-0 lead. The loss and the turnover spree looked a lot like the kind of problems that showed up during New England’s playoff run last season, which naturally raised questions about whether this is the version of Maye the Patriots are going to get.
But the fan base is still leaning the other way. In the latest SB Nation Reacts survey, 70% of respondents said they still have confidence in Maye moving forward.
The reaction in the comments split into familiar camps. Some fans brushed off the Week 1 collapse and pointed to the Seahawks’ defense, while others said the real test will be whether Maye cleans up the mistakes as the season goes on.
“Not at all. Folks seem to forget how good the Seahawks D is.
It`s a process for him and did really anybody expected him to be perfect in that hostile enviroment wednesday night?! Everybody calm down.”
“Yes. I have been for a few years.
I wasn’t impressed about Maye’s rookie season. But that wasn’t all his fault.
Last season he struggled against good teams and was atrocious in the season opener this year.
If struggles continue throughout the year, the Patriots will have to think long and hard about his future next summer. It’s the reality.”
“I’m not concerned that Drake Maye is a better than average QB in the league already. He’s already demonstrated as well an ability to elevate his team and lead it to the Superbowl. But, we still need to see him excel in high leverage situations repeatedly and demonstrate that he can be a smart enough QB that does not just get by on his physical traits.”
“I’m not concerned that he’s a bad QB that the Pats are now doomed to mediocrity or worse because Maye actually stinks. I am concerned that he will consistently make Favre/Allen-esque blunders that hold us back from being truly great.”
“At the moment I’m not concerned. But in 3-4 weeks if both his play and decision making are not vastly improved I will be concerned.”
Even with the concerns, the broader résumé is still carrying weight. The source material points to five straight games against some of the league’s best defenses, but also notes that Maye has already shown top-tier production across his first two seasons. Last year, he led the NFL with a 72.0% completion percentage and threw for 4,394 yards and 31 touchdowns, finishing as the MVP runner-up.
The confidence around the team itself has slipped, though. Just 56% of fans said they feel good about the Patriots’ direction, down sharply from 96% about two weeks ago.
Inside the building, the message is still steady. Mike Vrabel said, “We have nothing but the utmost confidence in him and everybody on this football team,” and added, “He’s going to make a lot of plays for us.”
Carlton Davis echoed that same belief: “We have all the confidence in the world in Drake,” he said. “He’s our guy.”
The Patriots’ Super Bowl odds also moved a bit after Week 1. On FanDuel Sportsbook, New England now has the 11th-best odds overall and the sixth-best in the AFC. Maye is listed 10th in the league in MVP odds.
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