Drake Maye held himself accountable for 4th quarter interception in Patriots’ loss
"I think Pop did the right thing."
Though both his head coach and teammate said the game-ending interception was a “miscommunication,” Patriots’ quarterback Drake Maye disagreed.
The rookie placed blame for the critical mistake on his own shoulders. Asked after the 28-22 loss to the Rams about the turnover on the Patriots’ final drive, Maye advocated for his receiver on the play, DeMario Douglas.
“Yeah, it was a two-high [safety] look and Pop [DeMario Douglas]’s up the middle, and they’re pretty good up front rushing five,” Maye said of the Rams’ defensive approach. “I tried to kind of put it on them and kind of hit them over the linebacker, and Pop was thinking probably deep, but at the end of the day, just got to be on the same page, and I think Pop did the right thing, I guess, got to just talk through more conversations.
“Just goes back to me during the week doing more, talking through different situations, hey, I may put this one on you versus let it rip. That’s about it,” concluded the 22-year-old quarterback.
It was a disappointing outcome for Maye and New England not just from a final score standpoint, but from a larger sense of the rookie’s ongoing development. In general terms, Maye generated another solid outing for a first-year player. He finished the game 30-of-40 for 282 yards and two touchdowns.
Yet he was also responsible for two turnovers, including the interception at the end of the game.
Asked to assess his performance on Sunday, Maye said he needed to prioritize patience in the passing game.
“Yeah, I think this week just scrambling to be a passer,” he said. “I think not taking off so early and just tucking the football, being a scrambler, throw the ball downfield, and we’ve got good players downfield, with just making decisions, and just the last interception.”
Overall, he remains optimistic about his (and his team’s) offensive growth.
“But I think week to week, I think we’re getting better,” said Maye. “Proud of those guys up front for battling, and we were able to run the football a pretty good time today. Just a couple of things, I think down there in the red zone we’ve got to capitalize on.”
The Patriots finished with a season-high 382 total yards of offense on Sunday, though the defense allowed 402 total yards (its third time allowing more than 400 total yards in a game in the 2024 season).
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