It was the pivotal moment in their Week 3 game against the Pittsburgh Steelers, the moment the New England Patriots should’ve gone in tied at 14 at the half, but Drake Maye threw a critical interception to cornerback Brandin Echols in the end zone, and the would-be franchise passer knows exactly who is to blame.
Maye revealed all to reporters shortly after the turnover-riddled Pats fell to the Steelers, 21-14 at Gillette Stadium on Sunday, September 21. The third-overall selection in the 2024 NFL draft, who was targeting wide receiver Kayshon Boutte, took responsibility for the pick, but Maye did mention one mitigating factor.
As the second-year passer explained, “I had Boutte. I fired it in there, and I think 97 got a hand on it, and it took a different round. Good play by him, but I think I could have given it a different ball flight. One of those things that stings, I was thinking about it all halftime,” per Alex Barth of 98.5 The Sports Hub.
The reference to Steelers All-Pro defensive end Cameron Heyward impacting the flight of the ball with his mitt doesn’t let Maye off the hook. Not when New England’s QB1 toiled through a performance littered with costly mistakes.
Drake Maye Tough on Self-Inflicted Wounds
Maye has been forcing defenses to change, but he was clear about how much passing the Patriots out of points at the goal-line festered. His lingering frustration was understandable since the Pats had the chance to tie the score, but Maye simply didn’t see Echols.
This play was tough enough for Maye to live down, but it wasn’t his only costly mistake. A key fumble represented the 23-year-old’s other self-inflicted wound.
Maye admitted he was guilty of trying to manufacture a play from a losing situation when he “saw TreVeyon [Henderson] late and tried to do something stupid,” per Barth.
Their quarterback not playing smarter football took points off the board for the Patriots, and Maye’s penchant for calamity proved contagious.
Patriots Self-Destructed vs. Steelers
Maye was far from alone in his bizarre eagerness to give the ball back to the Steelers. Starting running back Rhamondre Stevenson lost a pair of fumbles, including one as he tried to plough over the line into the end zone.
Stevenson’s fellow running back Antonio Gibson also let the ball get loose. Those mistakes proved the difference in a game where the rebuilding Pats otherwise put some good things on film.
Maye made plays through the air, particularly to tight end Hunter Henry, who burned the Steelers for eight catches, 90 yards and two touchdowns, while the defense tallied six tackles for loss, picked off Aaron Rodgers and also hit the ageing Steelers signal-caller three times, according to ESPN.
The X’s and O’s didn’t fail the Patriots. Instead, it was the fundamentals, the core things winning teams must get right and new head coach Mike Vrabel expects.