Yardbarker
x
Yes, It Is Time to Panic About Drake Maye
IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Yes, It Is Time to Panic About Drake Maye

Originally posted on TWSN  |  By Nate Varda  |  Last updated Sep 10, 2026 8:38 PM ET
Google Add us as a preferred source on Google

Last night’s NFL season opener didn’t go as planned for New England. After jumping out to a 10-0 lead early in the third quarter, the Patriots offense was stifled as Drew Lock led the defending Super Bowl Champions to a 13-10 comeback win.

It was frankly an embarrassing loss for New England. With Sam Darnold going down on the fifth play of the game, there was zero excuse for not outsourcing the Seahawks, and they managed to. It was reminiscent of the Super Bowl in February, where New England’s golden goose, Drake Maye, was clearly outmatched by a superior defense. 

There was no reason for Maye to struggle the way he did in the Super Bowl, nor in Week 1. New England only mustered seven points in the first half, when Maye had his new wide receiver, A.J. Brown. Brown, who exited with what’s been diagnosed as a high ankle sprain with 13:26 left in the third quarter, is expected to miss the next four weeks.

That is a brutal blow to Maye, who looks like he desperately needs a receiver to bail him out. The lack of success in the Patriots’ offense is a telltale sign of what was wrong with New England: Drake Maye. Even with Brown on the field, Maye looked mediocre. 

While he finished the first half 10/12 with a touchdown, he only compiled 66 yards and should have had a lot more if he had hit this easy touchdown on a deep ball to Brown, which he vastly underthrew.

Then, in the fourth quarter, Maye threw the game away with three terrible interceptions. The first was on a tipped jump ball into double coverage. He threw the next one into heavy traffic, where Julian Love picked it off, setting up Seattle’s go-ahead field goal. Then Maye sealed the game with another poor decision, throwing an interception in the end zone with the Patriots already in field goal range.

Maye’s poor performance could be a warning sign for the year to come. He looked like he not only has poor decision-making, but his arm talent looked pedestrian as well. With Brown out for a month, this offense won’t be looking much better until he returns.

Weak Schedule Merchant?:

One of the biggest hits to Maye’s MVP runner-up resume last year was the New England’s cakewalk of a schedule in the regular season. That criticism is very valid, with 13 of their 17 games being against defenses ranked outside the top 12 in yardage, six of those being bottom 10. 

It showed that Maye played relatively no competition throughout his campaign, and it was exposed in the postseason, where he posted a -29.2 expected points added, the worst ever for a QB playing three or more postseason games, and fumbled a league-record eight times in the playoffs.

He transformed from one of the most sure-handed QBs in the league to a turnover machine once he faced elite defenses like the Texans, Broncos and Seahawks.

Last night may have proved that Maye doesn’t belong in the conversation of the league’s best quarterbacks and is much more league-average than his sophomore season led on.

This article first appeared on TWSN and was syndicated with permission.

More must-reads:

Customize Your Newsletter

Yardbarker +

Get the latest news and rumors, customized to your favorite sports and teams. Emailed daily. Always free!

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA.