Drake Maye’s rough start to 2026 picked up another ugly chapter Sunday, and this one didn’t need a defender anywhere near him.
The Patriots quarterback, coming off a runner-up finish in MVP voting last season, has opened his third NFL year looking nothing like the sharp, poised playmaker he was in 2025. Through two games, he was already tied for the league lead in interceptions. Then came a bizarre fumble against the Jaguars in Week 3 that turned heads for all the wrong reasons.
New England had just gotten the ball back after a scoreless opening drive on the road in Jacksonville. After Rhamondre Stevenson moved the chains, Maye dropped back on the next snap, faked the handoff and started to load up for a deep throw.
But with no Jaguars defender pressuring him, he simply let the ball slip away during his motion. The ball hit the turf, and DaVon Hamilton pounced on it for the takeaway.
Maye’s latest giveaway was his fifth turnover of the season, the most in the NFL. According to Matt McCarthy, 17 of the Patriots’ opponents’ 23 points this season have come off Maye turnovers.
The mistakes have piled up fast. Maye threw three interceptions in one quarter against the Seahawks in Week 1, a loss for New England, then added another pick against the Steelers in Week 2 without throwing a touchdown pass. What had been a promising rise into last season’s Super Bowl run has quickly turned into a turnover problem the Patriots can’t ignore.
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