“You can’t do that when we’ve got a chance with the game on the line.”
Patriots QB Drake Maye made his weekly appearance on “WEEI Afternoons” on Monday, with the second-year signal-caller touching on topics that ranged from New England’s Week 3 loss to the Steelers, Rhamondre Stevenson, and much more.
Here are four takeaways from his interview:
A hard lesson learned
The good news? The Patriots largely dominated the Steelers on the offensive side of the ball on Sunday at Gillette Stadium.
Maye and the Patriots’ offense outgained Aaron Rodgers and the Steelers’ personnel, 369-203, in total yardage while also finishing with nine more first downs (26) than Pittsburgh (17).
But, even with Maye and Co. routinely moving the ball down the field against Pittsburgh, New England was limited to just 14 points in a frustrating defeat — with the Patriots getting knocked for five total turnovers in what was a seven-point loss.
It marked the first time that the Patriots had coughed up at least five turnovers in a single game since November 2008.
Speaking on Monday evening, Maye said that the Patriots collectively can’t just burn the game tape after such a lopsided performance in a critical area of the game.
“I think just, shoot, rally around each other,” Maye said of how New England moves forward after Week 3. “I think pump each other up. … It’s hard to win games in this league when you lose a turnover battle, especially by the margin that we did. So yeah, just rally around each other. Know that, shoot, it’s important.
“And I think just the positive from it is we still moved the ball and had some plays that we left out there … and still remained in the game. So it’s tough to take away something positive from five turnovers. But I think, at the end of the day with fixing that, it’s something that’s not just something that you can say — ‘Hey, next week, we’re going to fix it.’ It’s something you got to take pride in practice.”
While Rhamondre Stevenson (twice) and Antonio Gibson were both knocked for fumbles, Maye was also complicit in New England’s ball-security woes.
New England was unable to capitalize on a 17-play, 94-yard drive at the end of the second quarter after Maye’s potential game-tying pass to Kayshon Boutte was picked off in the end zone.
“You learn from any interception you throw,” Maye said. “I think it’s unfortunate, how it got tipped. And I was trying to throw kind of a little back-shoulder ball to Boutte — would have been a touchdown. So maybe given a different ball flight to it. … But really, I wouldn’t change my decision down there on throwing it. So it’s unfortunate that a good player got his hands on it. But from there, I wouldn’t change my decision.”
New England also had an opportunity to take a late lead in the fourth quarter after New England drove the ball into Pittsburgh territory with the game stuck in a 14-14 deadlock. But, while trying to scramble for extra yardage, Maye was strip-sacked — allowing T.J. Watt to pick up the loose ball and end the Patriots’ promising drive.
Rodgers and the Steelers orchestrated their own nine-play, 67-yard drive in response, capped off with a 17-yard touchdown pass to Calvin Austin III — to close out the win for the visitors.
“No doubt — you can’t do that when we’ve got a chance with the game on the line,” Maye said of his late fumble.
Words of encouragement
Maye and Mike Vrabel both offered up plenty of support to Rhamondre Stevenson after the talented back’s two-fumble performance on Sunday.
“He’s one of our best players,” Maye said of Stevenson on Sunday. “I think there’s nothing that I think he can do that would change my view of him as a player, as a teammate. He does everything the right way. He knows just as much as we know. Ball security is the No. 1 thing as a running back, and he’s had a great season and a great last weekend.”
As Stevenson looks to right the ship and build his confidence back up entering Week 4, Maye was asked the best advice he’s received from a teammate since arriving in New England.
“Shoot, that’s a good question,” Maye said. “Practice-wise, it was one of my first weeks here, too. I remember David Andrews saying to me after, practice out there in training camp — or maybe an OTA.
“He said, ‘It’s never as good as you thought it was. It’s never bad you thought it was. This is the NFL, and this is how you got to approach it. It’s on to the next.’ So that’s one of the best things [of advice], practice-wise.”
Part of Boston’s sports scene
Several of Boston’s other top sports stars were on hand at Gillette Stadium on Sunday, with Celtics forward Jayson Tatum spotted on the sidelines alongside Red Sox youngsters Roman Anthony and Marcelo Mayer.
As Maye looks to establish the Patriots as a contending team in the AFC, he believes it’s important to build a rapport with several other athletes in the market tasked with a similar undertaking on the court and baseball diamond.
“I got to meet Jayson when I got up here — got to meet some of the Celtics guys,” Maye said. “And obviously [Tatum] played in ACC and played at Duke, so he used to play against my brother, and got to meet him when he came out here at practice. …. It’s always so different when you’re out here around 320-pound, big linemen and and then a guy like Jayson walks out and he’s towering over all of us.
“It’s pretty funny. Just how different the world of sports is. But then I reached out to both Marcelo and Roman when they got called up … I’ve talked to them, maybe both of them, once on FaceTime. Obviously bright futures for them, and I’ve been following the Red Sox making the push into the postseason. So I think it’s always cool to keep up with the stars and try to get to know them.”
A ‘bright future’ for Efton Chism
Patriots wideout Efton Chism III is worth keeping tabs on entering Sunday’s game against the Panthers.
The shifty wideout has yet to appear in a game since making New England’s 53-man roster after a strong training camp and preseason slate.
But, with DeMario Douglas struggling out of the slot position and no Patriots wideout eclipsing 40 receiving yards in two weeks, Chism could be in line to log some snaps against Carolina.
Count Maye among those who have been impressed with what he’s seen from the undrafted receiver out of Eastern Washington.
“He’s been awesome. The day he got here, he’s kind of tagged along with veterans and guys like Mack Hollins,” Maye said of Chism. “You always see him staying after, getting extra conditioning in and drawing up plays. … I’ve caught him here late in the building numerous times, watching extra tape. … So he’s doing all the right things.
“And just continue to show up and do stuff in practice, on the scout team, and I think it’s going to end up paying off. But yeah, I think he’s got a bright future.”