While New England Patriots rookie quarterback Drake Maye technically has two wins on his career resume, he spent over half of his first victory in the NFL's concussion protocol. Remove that game from the equation, and Maye has lost seven of eight starts while featuring for a rebuilding team that enters Week 16 at 3-11.
During a Monday appearance on Boston sports radio station WEEI, Maye opened up about dealing with more downs than ups as a first-year pro.
"Just trying to learn from it, that’s the biggest thing you try to do. I think everybody’s frustrated. We’re all frustrated. I think gotta go through to learn from it," Maye said, as shared by Lauren Campbell of MassLive. "...And thinking about how we played, and then also, same time, don’t shy away from kind of some of the positives of the game. That’s that’s the biggest thing. We’re doing some good things. We’re in a lot of these games."
Maye has improved from where he was during preseason action, but that hasn't resulted in New England stacking wins amid criticisms of first-year head coach Jerod Mayo. During this past Sunday's 30-17 loss at the Arizona Cardinals that wasn't as close as the final score would indicate, Patriots owner Robert Kraft and team president Jonathan Kraft seemed quite annoyed over what they saw from the club's offense.
It's unclear if the Krafts will stick with Mayo beyond Week 18.
"...There’s turning points of the game where it can turn into a close game," Maye continued. "That’s the things that I’m trying to focus on, trying to get the guys to focus on, because we’re right there. We’re not far away. I just think the balls aren’t rolling our way right now, and I think part of it’s execution and part of it is just focusing on little details in those moments."
According to Pro Football Reference, Maye ended Week 15 ranked 16th in the NFL with a 58.7 adjusted QBR and 22nd with an 88.4 passer rating for the season. Over 10 games, he tossed 12 touchdown passes and nine interceptions to go along with 359 rushing yards and two scores on the ground on 42 carries.
As of Tuesday morning, DraftKings Sportsbook listed the Patriots as massive 14-point underdogs for Sunday's game at the 11-3 Buffalo Bills. If nothing else, New England fans will hope that Maye can keep things interesting during a potential shootout with MVP favorite Josh Allen.
