Losing is always tough in the NFL, but with the right approach, losses can serve as invaluable sources of information for improvement.
Third-year quarterback Drake Maye has served as a proverbial punching bag for verbal backlash, following his three-interception meltdown in the second half of Wednesday's loss to the Seattle Seahawks.
There's no running away from the fact that it was a disappointing loss. Sure, the Patriots were facing the top-ranked Seahawks defense, but they were also facing a unit without its two starting safeties, Nick Emmawori and Ty Okada. The Seahawks also lost their starting quarterback, Sam Darnold, on the first drive of the game.
Even at Lumen Field, a real-life house of horrors for opposing NFL teams, it felt like the
Patriots let a golden opportunity slip through their hands. So far, Maye has taken the brunt of the heat for throwing the game-sealing interception into the end zone late in the fourth quarter when the team was in field goal range.
That kind of defeat can weigh heavily on a 24-year-old quarterback.
"Drake and I had a great conversation about that exact thing yesterday. This is what you sign up for," McDaniels admitted on Jones & Keefe. "You aspire professionally to get to a point in your career where you have an opportunity to hopefully make an impact in the game each week. And you do everything that you can from Sunday night to the next Sunday to help your team win.
"You do everything within your power to make it go. When it goes, it's fun, and when it doesn't, you have the responsibility of handling the adversity and/or criticism that comes along with it. So I understand, our job is to take care of the ball and score more points than the other team, and we didn't do either one of those good enough the other day."
Patriots offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels explains how he handles criticism from the fans and media following a loss. pic.twitter.com/lJ5KnehPXC
— Jones & Keefe (@JonesandKeefe) September 11, 2026
Maye might get called on to do even more with star wide receiver A.J. Brown sidelined for at least the next four weeks with a high ankle sprain.
The Patriots came into the summer with arguably the deepest wide receiver room in the league, and now, they are suddenly down to Romeo Doubs, DeMario Douglas, Mack Hollins, Kyle Williams and Efton Chism III. Maye has never faced pressure of this magnitude in his football career.
With his back against the wall, will he come out swinging in Week 2?
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This article originally appeared on Patriots Wire: Josh McDaniels reveals Drake Maye conversation after loss to Seahawks
