Drake Maye Owns Three Picks After Patriots Collapse

Drake Maye did not reach for the usual quarterback fog machine after New England’s season opener. Following the Patriots’ 13-10 loss to the Seattle Seahawks, the 24-year-old quarterback gave Us Weekly’s reported account of his performance a blunt diagnosis: he lost patience, made costly decisions and put the game out of reach.

The numbers make that self-critique difficult to argue with. Maye threw three interceptions, and the last came with 21 seconds remaining while New England was driving and already within field-goal range of a potential tie. That was not a harmless ugly afternoon; it was the kind of mistake that turns a winnable opener into an immediate postgame autopsy.

What makes the collapse stingier is how firmly the Patriots appeared to have control. New England led 10-0 in the third quarter, with Maye connecting on a two-yard touchdown pass to rookie tight end Eli Raridon in the first quarter. The offense had a lead to protect and a plan Maye said he believed could steadily chip away at Seattle. Then the patience disappeared.

Maye’s comments also offered a useful glimpse at the standard he is setting for himself. He said the performance was not how he plays or how he wants to represent himself as the Patriots’ quarterback, while promising himself he would improve and remember that the season is long. That is accountability, but it is not absolution: a long season only helps if the same late-game decisions do not become a pattern.

The result leaves Maye with a particularly visible correction before New England’s next outing. The opener showed that the Patriots could build a lead, but also that one quarterback’s rush to force the game can erase it. For a young starter trying to establish control, the most revealing part of the night may be that he recognized the problem before anyone had to explain it for him.