FOXBORO - Drake Maye knows the start to his 2026 season hasn’t matched the standard he set for himself.
Through two weeks, the New England Patriots quarterback has thrown four interceptions and only one passing touchdown, and he’s also had stretches where the ball has simply not been where it needed to be. Touch throws past the sticks have been an issue, and too often the offense has been left waiting for Maye to make the next clean play.
Even with that uneven beginning, the Patriots are 1-1 and sitting second in the division. The season is still young, and Maye remains the kind of quarterback who can turn things around quickly. But for New England, the attention has already moved on from last week’s 20-3 win over the Pittsburgh Steelers and toward Sunday’s matchup with the Jacksonville Jaguars, the AFC South winners a year ago.
“The focus has got to be on Jacksonville and our performance,” Mike Vrabel said Wednesday.
After practice, Maye laid out the areas he wants to sharpen heading into that game. The biggest theme was simple: trust what he sees and play faster.
A lot of the early trouble has come from mistakes with the football. Maye threw three interceptions against Seattle in Week 1 and added another the following week.
He said he needs to be more willing to pull the trigger when something opens up, instead of hesitating. That means leaning on instinct - the same trait he used so well last year - whether that shows up as a shot downfield or a scramble to move the chains.
“You’ve got to let plays go, and you want to be attacking the next play, learning from the ones in the past and getting after the next one,” Maye said. “So, just thinking and trying to be instinctive. That's one of the best things I learned in college is to be instinctive and try to play as fast as you can back there.”
He also pointed to a costly sequence against Pittsburgh. New England had the ball deep in its own territory with enough time to work into field-goal range before halftime, and the Patriots were also set to get the second-half kickoff.
Instead, Maye was trapped in a coverage sack, drifted too close to the line, and was taken down by T.J. Watt.
The drive ended in a punt, and the Steelers tacked on a field goal before the break.
Those kinds of swings matter, especially in close games.
“Really, that was one of the best things, I felt like, last year that we did, whether getting points or ending with the football. That's definitely something that you’ve got to know the time and place,” Maye said.”
“That's definitely an emphasis: to play good football and try to 'double up' as they call it. So, that's definitely something that we try to be mindful of and know that's the best way to kind of finish off the half.”
Maye also wants the offense to get moving earlier. New England opened the Seattle game with a punt, and against Pittsburgh, a promising series was cut short when Rhamondre Stevenson fumbled. The Patriots haven’t consistently found rhythm right away, and Maye said getting off to a better start would help the whole unit settle in.
“I think starting fast as a football team. Starting fast for myself,” Maye said.
“I feel like we had a good jump last week of starting fast and had a chance right there to make a big play. We ended up having a turnover on the first possession.
So, I think one of the biggest things for us is starting fast, especially for myself. Find some cohesions early and also don’t shy away from trying to take what they give you.”
And then there’s the leadership piece. Maye already wears the captain’s “C” and was voted a captain for the second straight season, but he believes he can still be more forceful with his voice - in the huddle, on the sideline, and anywhere else the Patriots need it.
“I think just keep on pushing the guys in the huddle, pushing guys to keep going and strain a little bit,” Maye said. “Once we make a big play, just follow it up.
I think that's one thing we’re focusing on. I had a delay of game last week.
We had the penalty the other drive, so little things like that, you just feel like, 'Man, we’re there,' and we’re just kind of hurting ourselves.”
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