After the Patriots pulled out a win in Week 2 over the Steelers, despite another uninspiring performance from Drake Maye, Mike Vrabel avoided answering questions about his quarterback. Vrabel joked with a reporter not to “ruin my Sunday” when asked about Maye. And this was after a win.
On Sunday, Maye was largely responsible for ruining Vrabel’s afternoon in the Patriots’ 35-6 loss to Jacksonville, which felt like rock bottom (the Pats hope). Simply put, Maye was atrocious. The 2025 MVP runner-up was 14-of-25 for 199 yards, no touchdowns, two interceptions, three sacks, and a lost fumble.
It wasn’t just that Maye was once again a turnover machine – it was the weirdness of his decision making. A particularly grievous error came on a third and goal with under a minute remaining in the first half. New England were only down 14-3 and well-positioned to shift the game’s momentum.
Then Maye threw the ball right to Jacksonville corner Travis Hunter in the end zone. It’s hard to comprehend what Maye was seeing or not seeing on that play. Given the ball placement and defensive reads, some social-media jokesters questioned whether he could even make out Jacksonville’s teal uniforms.
Had this game been an outlier, Patriots fans could take a deep breath. But Week 3’s performance was merely a new low for Maye, who has been shaky since the 2025 playoffs began. The 2025 regular season Maye who delighted fans with just eight interceptions in 17 games already has six interceptions in three weeks this campaign.
During New England’s four-game playoff run last season, Maye had six touchdowns, but he also threw four interceptions and fumbled seven times. New England’s stifling defense, which was critical during their Super Bowl run – and in last week’s win over the Steelers – was absent on Sunday. The usually stout unit allowed Trevor Lawrence three passing touchdowns and failed to capitalize on Jacksonville’s penalties.
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