The New England Patriots were hoping quarterback Drake Maye could build on his MVP runner-up campaign from 2025 and help prove the team's Super Bowl 61 run was no fluke.
Instead, the third-year quarterback has struggled mightily across the first three games of the 2026 NFL season.
Maye's latest low-light performance came in his team's Week 3 loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars. The 24-year-old completed 14 of 25 passes for 199 yards but was responsible for three turnovers. That included an ugly interception in the back of the end-zone and an inexplicable fumble where he simply dropped the ball while trying to make a pass.
Maye looked every bit as bad
as his stat-line indicated, and it will lead many to question exactly what is wrong with the young quarterback.
Here's a full breakdown of Maye's performance through three weeks and what is ailing him.
What's wrong with Drake Maye?
Maye has dealt with a couple of major issues across his first three games of the season. His deep accuracy hasn't been nearly at the level it was last season while his decision-making has also routinely been poor to start the season.
Drake Maye's decision-making struggles
An example of the Maye's poor decision-making occurred at the end of the first half of the team's Week 3 game against the Jaguars. The Patriots were in scoring range on a third-and-goal from the 2-yard line with a minute left in the second quarter when Maye rolled out to his right to attempt a pass.
No Patriots receiver was able to shake loose, but Maye still tried to force a pass in to wide receiver Efton Chism. Maye was falling away as he made the throw, and cornerback Travis Hunter was able to undercut it and create an interception.
Maye would have been better off throwing the ball out of the end-zone and giving Andy Borregales a chance to cut cut Jacksonville's lead to one-score. Instead, his decision robbed the Patriots of a scoring opportunity at an inopportune moment – much like his game-ending interception while New England was in field-goal range during its 13-10 loss to the Seattle Seahawks in Week 1.
Struggles throwing deep
That said, Maye's turnover issues go beyond just his decision-making. His deep accuracy has declined precipitously to open the 2026 campaign.
During his MVP runner-up season, Maye was one of the best deep passers in the NFL. He had a rating of 119.5 on passes 20-plus yards down the field and racked up 1,268 yards, 12 touchdowns and just three interceptions while completing 48.8% of his deep passes, per Pro Football Focus.
Across his first two games of the 2026 season, Maye's passer rating on such throws had fallen all the way to 46.6, per Pro Football Focus. He had nearly as many interceptions (four) as completions (five), and his performance against the Jaguars likely won't help his cause as a downfield passer.
Maye has been just as bad in the intermediate range, where he entered Sunday's action with a passer rating of 42.2 and two interceptions on throws 10-19 yards down the field. Until he can improve in those areas, he and the Patriots' offense will be limited in what it can achieve through the air.
Maye is badly missing A.J. Brown
Most of Maye's issues have been of his own making. However, the one thing out of his control has been the health of his receiving corps.
Brown entered the 2026 NFL season expected to be the Patriots' No. 1 receiver, but he suffered a high-ankle sprain in the team's season-opener. The 29-year-old was placed on IR as a result of the injury, and he is expected to miss roughly six weeks because of the injury.
Brown's absence has had a ripple effect throughout the Patriots' receiving corps. It has elevated Romeo Doubs to the de facto No. 1 receiver role, and he has been ill-equipped to handle that. Meanwhile, Mack Hollins has held his own in place of Brown, but New England's offense is still missing an explosive and consistent threat at the position.
That's not to say that Brown's eventual return will be a fix-all for Maye. After all, New England's offense was still sputtering in Week 1 when Brown was on the field, and his absence may extend his acclimation period.
Nonetheless, his absence has added another layer to Maye's early-season struggles; and until he returns to the field, Maye will be tasked with trying to make things work with an undermanned receiving corps.
Drake Maye stats
Below is a full look at Maye's stats thus far from the 2026 NFL season:
- Comp./Att. (%): 51/80 (63.8%)
- Passing yards: 585
- Passing TDs: 1
- INTs: 6
- Yards per attempt: 7.3
- Passer rating: 58.6
- Carries: 15
- Rushing yards: 82
- Rushing TDs: 0
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: What's wrong with Drake Maye? Patriots QB's struggles continue vs Jaguars
