Drake Maye, the quarterback for the New England Patriots, expressed regret over his performance in the team’s narrow 24-23 victory against the Atlanta Falcons. The victory came on the heels of a tough loss where Maye was sacked three times and his team six total. This compelled him to think rigorously about his decision-making and performance.
Maye even admitted that many of the sacks came as a product of his holding on to the ball too long. This aggressive strategy only led to a fumble lost. The quarterback described what’s likely the most uncommon miscue in football as a defining play that swung the game’s momentum. Adding to that frustration, a third quarter interception happened on the worst kind of miscommunication with tight end Hunter Henry.
“I’ve got to play better for this team down the road,” Maye stated in a post-game interview, emphasizing his focus on improvement. He lamented the turning points late in the second quarter when the Patriots had a commanding 21-7 cushion. Two uncharacteristic underthrows on a long midfield drive robbed him of the opportunity to put this thing out of reach.
During that five-game stretch, the quarterback underscored the improvements he’s made during the span. He knows his play this year has established him as a candidate for MVP considerations. His past protection of the football had been a big driver of this success. In this game, he got into a habit that he knew was bad.
Only thing I had to do is just cup the ball to the chest,” he patted himself on the back after that. “I’m getting in a bad habit of trying to break tackles on these guys that I don’t have a great chance of breaking a tackle on.
Even through the difficulties that he was going through, his teammates were always encouraging him. Wide receiver Stefon Diggs noted that while performances can be imperfect, the team’s determination to secure a win was paramount.
“That s
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