Patriots fans have plenty to gripe about after Drake Maye’s rough start, but the bigger picture still points in one direction: he’s the guy.
Through two games, Maye has been off, and off in a way that’s hard to ignore. He leads all quarterbacks with four interceptions, has thrown only one touchdown, and has totaled 386 yards. The Week 1 loss was on him in a major way, and the version of Maye showing up now looks nothing like the quarterback who finished runner-up in MVP voting last season.
The eye test has been just as jarring as the numbers. Maye hasn’t looked nearly as comfortable or as sharp, his pocket presence has wobbled, the ball doesn’t have the same zip, and the decision-making has been messy. He simply hasn’t settled in.
But this slump didn’t come out of nowhere. Since the start of last season’s playoffs, and maybe even the Wild Card game, he’s been dealing with a brutal stretch of defenses.
The Houston Texans, Denver Broncos, Seattle Seahawks twice, and Pittsburgh Steelers all came in succession, a run that would challenge just about any quarterback, even a veteran one. On top of that, opposing defenses now have a full year of film to work with, and they’ve had time to adjust to him.
There’s also the issue of a changed supporting cast. Maye is working with a different receiving corps, and it doesn’t help that A.J. Brown, the star wideout the offense was built around, suffered a high-ankle sprain in the season opener and is expected to miss at least a month.
That context matters because Maye is still only 24, still in his second full NFL season, and still a quarterback with obvious traits you can’t teach. He didn’t even make his first start until Week 6 of his rookie year, so he’s still early in the process of learning how defenses are going to attack him. Mistakes at this stage are part of the deal.
The talent remains undeniable. The North Carolina alum is a dangerous runner and has rare arm strength, and the flaws he’s showing now are the kind that can be cleaned up.
Last season wasn’t a fluke. It was the start of something bigger, and Patriots fans would be wise to remember that while the ride gets bumpy.
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Wishnowsky has now appeared in two games this season, and the move back to the practice squad leaves New England with a familiar question at a position that can quietly shape close games. The Patriots can keep cycling through options while Baringer remains unavailable, but the way they manage the punter spot in the coming weeks will say plenty about how stable they feel about the depth chart. [Read more 🡒]