It doesn't take the knowledge of a football legend or the analysis of the best NFL commentators to see that Drake Maye has not been good at the start of the Patriots' 2026 season.
In fact, it wouldn't be unfair to say he's playing like one of the worst quarterbacks in the league, and as much as fans would love to say that's dramatic, it would be a lie to suggest it was. He doesn't look like the MVP runner-up from last season, as he's making unthinkable mistakes and trying to force plays where there aren't any, consistently putting the Patriots in a worse position.
The worst part is his knack for turnovers, something he avoided impressively last year when he recorded 31 touchdowns and just 8 interceptions all season.
However, through three games in 2026, he's already totaled 6 interceptions and one touchdown, a far cry from what most expected to be another jump in production after leading the team to the Super Bowl last year.
Potentially making matters worse is the record he set in his performance against the Jaguars on Sunday, and it's not exactly the kind of record any quarterback would strive for, but it puts the cherry on top of just how bad Maye's season has been so far.
Drake Maye's latest stretch of games has been historically bad
After Sunday's game, CBS Sports researcher Doug Clawson said Maye's performance since the start of the 2025 playoffs makes him the first player to record 9+ fumbles and 10+ interceptions in a 7-game span since Jameis Winston in 2019.
That season might not be immediately memorable, but hearing that it was the year Winston threw for 30 touchdowns and 30 interceptions will easily remind you.
That's not a statistic a team would ever want for their quarterback, even if it meant they still threw 30 touchdowns. And as it stands, Maye isn't even on pace to do that, with most projections putting his interceptions at almost three times his expected scores.
It really puts his performance in perspective, and it's hard to pinpoint exactly what has led to this regression since the start of last season's playoffs. There was some leniency last postseason, given that he faced top-5 defenses on the road to the Super Bowl, and whispers that his shoulder injury caused more problems than expected.
But neither can be solely to blame for what we're seeing this season, not to mention that Maye and Mike Vrabel have shut down the idea that his shoulder is causing him any problems so far.
No matter the issue, they need to diagnose and resolve it as soon as possible, or the season will be over before the first month is complete. That's a disastrous scenario for a team coming off a Super Bowl performance, but it might be the reality in New England right now.
Add us as a preferred source on Google