Drake Maye has been one of the few reasons for optimism around the New England Patriots, but Sunday offered some of the hiccups that come with a rookie quarterback.
Maye had one of his worst performances as the Patriots starting quarterback in Sunday’s 34-15 loss to the Miami Dolphins. He was 22-for-37 for 222 yards with one touchdown and one interception, adding 26 yards on the ground across five rushes. Though not squarely on Maye's shoulders, the offense was rudderless much of the afternoon Sunday.
It’s easy to absolve Maye of most blame given the underwhelming collection of skill players at his disposal and the patchwork offensive line he plays behind. That said, he has to be accountable for at least some of the gaffes, and his propensity for interceptions and dangerous throws is among the things he needs to tidy up.
“I thought he did some good things,” Patriots head coach Jerod Mayo said Monday in his weekly appearance on The Greg Hill Show. “He was able to extend plays, but again, the turnovers are hurting the team. He understands he has to clean that up, and hopefully that’s part of his development.”
However, Mayo wouldn’t say that he thinks Sunday was a step back for Maye.
“Look, if we would have won the game, the whole narrative would have been different,” Mayo said. “And again, I don’t think progress is a straight line to the top, you’re going to have those ups and downs. But after you look at it from a longer viewpoint, as long as it’s still going (upward), it’s going to be (bumpy). But as long as it’s going (upward), you’ll be happy in the end.”
To Mayo’s point, the overall picture of Maye so far has been promising. The good has far outweighed the bad, and most of the mistakes the 22-year-old has made have been ones you would expect from a rookie quarterback. Still, the onus is on Mayo, Alex Van Pelt and Co. to ensure that even when there's bumpiness, that things still continue to trend in an upward direction more often than not for Maye.