New England Patriots quarterback Drake Maye is off to a difficult start in 2026, but Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen believes his top divisional rival will turn things around soon.
After falling just short of winning the league MVP trophy last season, Maye has stumbled to a difficult start this year. The Patriots have fallen to 1-2 as Maye has struggled with accuracy and turnover issues.
But Allen believes the downturn won’t last forever, delivering an optimistic message on the Patriots quarterback.
Josh Allen Believes Drake Maye Will Turn Things Around
Speaking to reporters this week, Allen expressed confidence in Maye and his ability to get back on track.
“Listen, Drake’s a smart kid, extremely talented,” Allen said. “He’s going to figure it out. He’s got the work ethic. I’ve got a lot of respect for him and what he’s been able to do in his early career. But he’ll find a way out of it.”
Maye has struggled to figure things out so far this season, throwing six interceptions and completing just 51 of his 80 pass attempts. The Patriots head to Buffalo after a blowout loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars, looking to avoid a 1-3 start and a three-game deficit to the Bills in the AFC East.
Drake Maye’s Confidence in Question
Some NFL insiders are questioning whether Maye has lost confidence in his abilities. One NFL front office staffer told CBS Sports that this year’s version of Maye looks very different from the talented and confident quarterback they saw in college.
“When I when I studied him when he was coming out (of college), you saw the athletic ability and you saw the arm talent but, especially his last year at North Carolina, there were just a lot of the misses, and the missed throws were kind of alarming and some instinctual things too,” the league insider said. “Then last year (in that second season in New England), he looked just a lot more comfortable and in command and like the game had slowed down for him. But now this year it almost looks like it’s kind of sped up for him a little bit. And some of the misses, whether it be mis-read or missed throw, some of those things have just kind of popped up a little bit more and he’s just not taking care of the ball all that well.”
Allen is also looking to turn things around after a difficult performance. The Bills quarterback threw two interceptions and lost a fumble in last week’s win over the Los Angeles Chargers.
Bills QB Josh Allen Sends Strong Message on Drake Maye’s Struggles