The New England Patriots just did what great teams do: They bounced back. Mike Vrabel's team put the heartbreaking season-opening loss in the rearview mirror, got back on its feet, and took care of business in Week 2.
Holding Aaron Rodgers and Mike McCarthy to just three points will always be a big deal, even at this point in their careers. Once again, Zak Kuhr's defense held its own, with the offense looking much sharper than it did in Week 1.
Nevertheless, Drake Maye knows they can still do better. More than that, he believes the offense must do a better job of giving the defense a fighting chance and living up to the standard they've set over the past two weeks.
Drake Maye knows the New England Patriots' offense can do better
“They’re playing at a really high level… It’s fun to watch, and at the same time, we gotta help them out… They’re making plays out there. We gotta match them,” Maye said (h/t CBS Sports)
With all due respect, the Patriots took a big step down in class from game to game. They faced arguably the deadliest defensive front in the game in the season opener before meeting a middle-of-the-pack unit in Week 2.
Regardless, this team has to beat whoever steps in front of them, and with an MVP candidate under center, there's no excuse not to stay ahead of the chains. Some might point to A.J. Brown's absence, and that would be fair to a degree, but this team made the Super Bowl without him.
Of course, having TreVeyon Henderson back on the field was also huge for the offense. He still needs to be more patient and work on his vision, but he brings twitchiness and explosiveness to the backfield, which also helps Rhamondre Stevenson when they alternate touches.
Maye bounced back in a big way after being in his own head in the season opener. He limited negative plays, didn't try to do too much, and constantly took what the defense gave him. That's all the Patriots asked of him after such a rough opener.
It's still early in the season, and the Patriots clearly aren't as bad as they looked in Week 1 — teams rarely are. They're not as dominant as they looked in Week 2, either, but they're inching closer to their reality.
Now, they'll face a Jacksonville Jaguars team whose strong defensive numbers may be misleading, as they've faced Deshaun Watson and Bo Nix coming off major injuries in the first two weeks of the season.
Maye has already told the offense what he expects, and as a leader who leads by example, he must be on his A-game when the Patriots kick the wheels on Sunday.
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