{"id":863077,"date":"2026-09-28T02:38:30","date_gmt":"2026-09-28T02:38:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/863077\/"},"modified":"2026-09-28T02:38:30","modified_gmt":"2026-09-28T02:38:30","slug":"patriots-drake-maye-looking-myself-in-the-mirror-as-game-has-completely-collapsed-since-afc-championship","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/863077\/","title":{"rendered":"Patriots&#8217; Drake Maye &#8216;looking myself in the mirror&#8217; as game has completely collapsed since AFC Championship"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p data-layout-index=\"5\" class=\"speakable\">The collapse of <a data-omtr-intcmp=\"fnc_outkick-sports_article_main-content_article-body_6_12840789\" href=\"https:\/\/www.foxnews.com\/category\/person\/drake-maye\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer nofollow\">Drake Maye<\/a>&#8216;s game continued on Sunday and it was so complete and troubling that coach Mike Vrabel pulled his quarterback with about eight minutes to play.<\/p>\n<p data-layout-index=\"5\" class=\"speakable\">It was the right move because <a data-omtr-intcmp=\"fnc_outkick-sports_article_main-content_article-body_6_12840790\" href=\"https:\/\/www.foxnews.com\/category\/sports\/nfl\/new-england-patriots\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer nofollow\">the Patriots<\/a> were getting run out of the stadium by the Jacksonville Jaguars, who eventually authored a convincing 35-6 victory.<\/p>\n<p data-layout-index=\"5\">But it was best for Maye, who accounted for two interceptions and a lost fumble in the game and left Vrabel sounding kind of worried.<\/p>\n<p class=\"affiliate-disclaimer\">This page may contain affiliate links to legal sports betting partners. If you sign up or place a wager, FOX News may be compensated. This content was created by a team that works independently from the FOX newsroom.<\/p>\n<p> <img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/drake-maye-fumble-turnover-jacksonville.jpg\" alt=\"Drake Maye loses the ball on a fumble during an NFL game at EverBank Stadium.\" width=\"1200\" height=\"675\"\/> <\/p>\n<p>New England Patriots quarterback Drake Maye loses the ball on a fumble turnover during the first quarter of an NFL football matchup at EverBank Stadium on Sunday, Sept. 27, 2026, in Jacksonville, Fla. (USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect)<\/p>\n<p data-layout-index=\"5\"><a data-omtr-intcmp=\"fnc_outkick-sports_article_main-content_article-body_6_12840791\" href=\"https:\/\/www.foxnews.com\/outkick-sports\/drake-maye-terrible-decision-gifts-seahawks-opening-night-win-patriots-left-stunned-start-nfl-season\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer nofollow\">DRAKE MAYE&#8217;S TERRIBLE DECISION GIFTS SEAHAWKS OPENING NIGHT WIN AS PATRIOTS LEFT STUNNED TO START NFL SEASON<\/a><\/p>\n<p data-layout-index=\"5\">&#8220;Well, my concern level is very high for this football team,&#8221; the coach said.<\/p>\n<p data-layout-index=\"5\">Vrabel went through the litany of things that he&#8217;s worried about and that need improvement. But everybody understands that if Maye doesn&#8217;t stop giving away the football, the other stuff will be secondary.<\/p>\n<p data-layout-index=\"5\">&#8220;We have to take care of the football,&#8221; Vrabel said. &#8220;We can&#8217;t, we can&#8217;t force things &#8230; I think he knows what to do. You know what I mean? I think we have to do it better, you know?<\/p>\n<p data-layout-index=\"5\">&#8220;And again, we all want to make plays. We just have to make them good ones. And, if it&#8217;s not there, we got to make a great decision.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p data-layout-index=\"5\">Great decisions do not involve throwing the ball to the other team.<\/p>\n<p> <img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/mike-vrabel-drake-maye-nissan-stadium-fox-news-001.jpeg\" alt=\"New England Patriots coach Mike Vrabel talking to quarterback Drake Maye at Nissan Stadium\" width=\"1200\" height=\"675\"\/> <\/p>\n<p>New England Patriots coach Mike Vrabel talks to quarterback Drake Maye during the second quarter at Nissan Stadium in Nashville, Tennessee, on Oct. 19, 2025. (Andrew Nelles\/The Tennessean\/USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images)<\/p>\n<p data-layout-index=\"5\"><a data-omtr-intcmp=\"fnc_outkick-sports_article_main-content_article-body_6_12840792\" href=\"https:\/\/www.foxnews.com\/outkick-sports\/chargers-colts-falcons-nfl-eight-winless-teams-panic-mode\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer nofollow\">FROM THE CHARGERS TO THE COLTS AND FALCONS, WHICH OF THE NFL&#8217;S EIGHT WINLESS TEAMS ARE ALREADY IN PANIC MODE<\/a><\/p>\n<p data-layout-index=\"5\">But Maye&#8217;s decisions have been questionable.<\/p>\n<p data-layout-index=\"5\">The three turnovers on Sunday is increasingly typical of how Maye is playing so far this season because he had three in the season-opener against the Seattle Seahawks and had another last week against the Pittsburgh Steelers.<\/p>\n<p data-layout-index=\"5\">So, seven turnovers by Maye this season.<\/p>\n<p data-layout-index=\"5\">&#8220;The ball stars rolling like that, we can&#8217;t get out our own way,&#8221; Maye lamented. &#8220;I can&#8217;t get out of my own way personally.<\/p>\n<p> <img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/drake-maye2.jpg\" alt=\"Drake Maye in June 2025\" width=\"1200\" height=\"675\"\/> <\/p>\n<p>Jun 9, 2025; Foxborough, MA, USA; New England Patriots quarterback Drake Maye (10) holds a press conference after minicamp at Gillette Stadium. (Eric Canha-Imagn Images)<\/p>\n<p data-layout-index=\"5\"><a data-omtr-intcmp=\"fnc_outkick-sports_article_main-content_article-body_6_12840793\" href=\"https:\/\/www.foxnews.com\/sports\/drake-maye-voices-support-patriots-coach-mike-vrabel-field-controversy-continues-swirl\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer nofollow\">DRAKE MAYE VOICES SUPPORT FOR PATRIOTS COACH MIKE VRABEL AS OFF-FIELD CONTROVERSY CONTINUES TO SWIRL<\/a><\/p>\n<p data-layout-index=\"5\">&#8220;So, I got to look myself in the mirror and take this as a turning point. You know, it&#8217;s Week 3. We got to, you have some fuel and realize that what we&#8217;re doing out there offensively is unacceptable \u2013 unacceptable for three weeks.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p data-layout-index=\"5\">It&#8217;s good that Maye is looking where the biggest problem is. It means he&#8217;s a capable leader even at only 24 years old.<\/p>\n<p data-layout-index=\"5\">&#8220;I got to start with myself and then lead these guys and we got to get back after it,&#8221; he said.<\/p>\n<p data-layout-index=\"5\">But time is short. The Patriots are 1-2 and already teammates are getting questions about <a data-omtr-intcmp=\"fnc_outkick-sports_article_main-content_article-body_6_12840794\" href=\"https:\/\/www.foxnews.com\/outkick-sports\/drake-maye-dragged-through-mud-nfl-fans-horrific-game-troubling-trend\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer nofollow\">Maye&#8217;s status<\/a> in the locker room.<\/p>\n<p data-layout-index=\"5\">Stunning, but this is the NFL.<\/p>\n<p data-layout-index=\"5\">&#8220;Everybody in that locker room and the organization and in the building believes in him and that&#8217;s really all that matters,&#8221; cornerback Christian Gonzalez said. &#8220;Obviously, he wants to perform and do that for his team.<\/p>\n<p data-layout-index=\"5\">&#8220;So, with Drake, we&#8217;re behind him. That&#8217;s our quarterback. Like I said, this team goes and we ride behind him. So that&#8217;s our guy and that ain&#8217;t changing.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p> <img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/mike-vrabel-patriots.jpg\" alt=\"Mike Vrabel takes questions\" width=\"1200\" height=\"675\"\/> <\/p>\n<p>New England Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel speaks the to media during a press conference at Gillette Stadium. (Eric Canha-Imagn Images)<\/p>\n<p data-layout-index=\"5\"><a data-omtr-intcmp=\"fnc_outkick-sports_article_main-content_article-body_6_12840795\" href=\"https:\/\/link.podtrac.com\/ccs_article\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer nofollow\">THE CRAIG CARTON SHOW\u2013UNFILTERED, UNAPOLOGETIC AND UNMISSABLE. DOWNLOAD HIS DAILY PODCAST NOW!<\/a><\/p>\n<p data-layout-index=\"5\">The Patriots this year are different in that their schedule is more difficult than last year. And the move to release Stefon Diggs and trade for A.J. Brown hasn&#8217;t paid off because <a data-omtr-intcmp=\"fnc_outkick-sports_article_main-content_article-body_6_12840796\" href=\"https:\/\/www.foxnews.com\/outkick-sports\/patriots-star-aj-brown-high-ankle-sprain-team-suffers-big-blow-brutal-seahawks-loss-reports\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer nofollow\">Brown got injured<\/a> in the season-opener and hasn&#8217;t played since.<\/p>\n<p data-layout-index=\"5\">&#8220;I mean, listen, the NFL is hard,&#8221; CBS analyst Adam Archuleta said. &#8220;&#8230; They&#8217;re going to have to play their way out of this. And Drake Maye is going to have to play his way out of this.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p data-layout-index=\"5\">Archuleta went on to make the point that Maye seemingly raised his game in a game at <a data-omtr-intcmp=\"fnc_outkick-sports_article_main-content_article-body_6_12840797\" href=\"https:\/\/www.foxnews.com\/outkick-sports\/buffalo-bills-latest-edition-new-stadium-predictably-painfully-brand\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer nofollow\">the Buffalo Bills<\/a> last year.<\/p>\n<p data-layout-index=\"5\">The Patriots visit <a data-omtr-intcmp=\"fnc_outkick-sports_article_main-content_article-body_6_12840798\" href=\"https:\/\/www.foxnews.com\/outkick-sports\/josh-allen-torches-one-nfl-best-defenses-make-case-time-move-2025-playoff-loss\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer nofollow\">the Bills<\/a> next Sunday afternoon.<\/p>\n<p data-layout-index=\"5\"><a data-omtr-intcmp=\"fnc_outkick-sports_article_main-content_article-body_6_12840799\" href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/ArmandoSalguero\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer nofollow\">FOLLOW ARMANDO SALGUERO ON X: @ARMANDOSALGUERO<\/a><\/p>\n<p>Armando Salguero is OutKick&#8217;s Senior NFL Writer.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The collapse of Drake Maye&#8216;s game continued on Sunday and it was so complete and troubling that coach&hellip;\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":863078,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[63],"tags":[218340,2205,1826,1811,1815,349,259870,99],"class_list":["post-863077","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-nfl","tag-aj-brown","tag-betting","tag-drake-maye","tag-jacksonville-jaguars","tag-new-england-patriots","tag-nfl","tag-outkick-sports","tag-sports"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/863077","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=863077"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/863077\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/863078"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=863077"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=863077"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=863077"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}