Across the league on Sunday, several top players went down with injuries, some so serious they were carted off the field.
The Patriots saw that with starting guard Mike Onwenu, who broke his ankle against the Steelers early in the game, just one week after A.J. Brown suffered an ankle sprain that will keep him sidelined for up to five more games.
Losing players of their caliber is a major hit to their offense, but other teams, like the Bears and Commanders, took a bigger blow to their rosters when their quarterbacks exited Sunday's matchups with injuries that could end their season.
Caleb Williams, the first overall pick of the 2024 Draft, left the game against the Vikings with what has been reported as a hamstring injury. Although he was seen in the locker room walking with little limp, he will undergo further tests to determine the seriousness of his injury, leaving Bears fans crossing their fingers for good news.
The same would be said about Commanders fans, but they already know that Jayden Daniels is going to miss a lot of time, if not the rest of the season, after dislocating the same elbow he did last year, which kept him off the field for 10 games. Given it's the same injury to the same arm, it might not be a reach to assume he will be out until next year.
Watching this unfold on Sunday had Patriots fans worried about the fate of Drake Maye, the third-overall pick in the 2024 draft, just behind Williams and Daniels. They took to social media to demand that the Patriots add extra protection for the quarterback, even if it wasn't in the most serious way.
Patriots fans can't help but worry if the 2024 quarterback class is cursed after Sunday's injuries
After seeing Daniels leave Sunday's game with another serious injury, Patriots fans couldn't help but speak out, desperate to protect Drake Maye at all costs.
Many demanded that the quarterback be wrapped in bubble wrap for next week's game, since he would presumably be the next QB to catch the injury bug, if there is indeed a curse.
DRAKE PLEASE WRAP YOURSELF IN BUBBLE WRAP NEXT WEEK https://t.co/YHtIoYLTlz
— Carlos A. Lopez (@LosTalksPats) September 20, 2026
Of course, wrapping a player in bubble wrap would never happen, and it's more so being said in jest with a hint of seriousness, given just how bad it is to lose your starting quarterback at any point, but especially at the start of the season.
This will surely become the latest concern surrounding Maye moving forward, maybe even more now that Mike Onwenu will miss the rest of the year and will be replaced by mostly unknown or unproven backups who presumably won't play at the same level as the seven-year pro.
It puts more pressure on Maye to avoid unnecessary sacks, which he didn't do against the Steelers, and it also requires him to be far more aware of his surroundings. He's done a slightly better job so far, but he still has room to improve for the rest of the season, with plenty of solid defenses still on the schedule.
Freak injuries can happen at any time, just as they did for Daniels and Williams, but there are ways that Maye can lower his risk, which we will need to see more of moving forward.
If anything, maybe the Patriots should take fans' advice and add some bubble wrap under Maye's uniform next week. It could make a difference, right? Better safe than sorry.
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