Listen, I was part of the camp that wanted Drake Maye to wait it out for 6-8 weeks and then get the nod. Well, he’s proven to be more ready than I thought and I’m glad he got his chance earlier in the season than I predicted.
In the game against Miami, he again showed flashes but there are still teething problems. Maye may have a fumbling problem. He coughed up the ball in two consecutive weeks and this was his fifth fumble of the season. The good news is that it should be coachable and easy to fix. Young quarterbacks in the league at times still think they’re playing a college defense so they hold the ball that extra second or two longer, but in the NFL that’s just another second the defense can get to the ball.
Maye also tends to hold the ball away from his body when he’s under pressure. I understand why he does it because he’s looking to still make a play, but something he’ll need to learn, sometimes it’s best to just take the sack and punt the ball away.
Postgame Maye spoke about being loose with the football.
“The fumble – just find a way to protect the football and go down, or find a way to get it out. I think I maybe could have spun out of it – reversed out of it and escaped it… don’t want to swim move the guy with a football. That’s just bad,” he said.
In addition to the turnovers, Maye didn’t get much help from his offensive line. I knew it was going to be a difficult year with this offensive line especially, without David Andrews, but Sunday was just really bad.
Five pre-snap offensive penalties dug Maye and the rest of the offense into a bigger hole.
Vederian Lowe accounted for three false starts, Demontrey Jacobs accounted for one false start, and Austin Hooper accounted for an offensive offsides.
What’s frustrating is Lowe looked like a serviceable left tackle this season, so to have this bad of a game is concerning. It’s only November so I won’t be writing my column about potential offensive line draft prospects just yet, but best believe it’s in the drafts waiting.
The other surprising takeaway from this game was how bad our defense looks. Against the Rams, Sean McVay had the perfect gameplan of having his two best receivers lineup or motion away from Christian Gonzalez and our other corners couldn’t stop them. Against Miami, Gonzalez held his own, but every other corner and safety got torched. Jaylen Waddle has had a down year until Sunday. Waddle posted eight catches for 144 yards and a touchdown. The receptions and yards were all season-highs for him.
I get it, Bill Belichick isn’t in charge anymore so the defense, which was top 10 last year, was bound to take a hit, but I wasn’t expecting the hit to sink the ship. Injuries and suspensions have played a toll, but to give up 24 points in the second quarter alone is unacceptable.
Hopefully being back at Gillette Stadium against the Indianapolis Colts, the Patriots will take a step in the right direction and not haunt themselves.
