It was a rocky start to the season for the New England Patriots. In particular, the offense struggled as star quarterback Drake Maye battled turnover issues.
There are still some questions for the offense to answer. That includes those turnovers and a rash of injuries, but in their win against the Buffalo Bills, the Patriots looked much more like the team they had on the field a season ago.
It was a boost of confidence that Maye needed. Now, he has a warning for the rest of the NFL.
“I think we’re just kind of starting up the mountain,” Maye said, per the Boston Herald. “I think you’d like to think that and we’ve got to go prove that. But it’s a race for us to improve and knowing that you’ve got to improve throughout the season and throughout the year for these teams. And these teams, once you get closer to the end that are are going to kind of be at their best at the end, and I think that’s one of the things that you strive to do throughout the year.”
Ultimately, the Bills game was just one game. This offense has a long way to go, but the season is still young, and there is plenty of time to get where they want to be.
“And knowing that — you like to say everybody, especially on offense — you like to say that obviously the first three weeks wasn’t what we wanted to put out there, and you’ve got to try to build off last week, and knowing that it’s not just going to do it for you. You’ve got to put the work in and the focus, and hopefully continue to catch a trend and catch a stride,” Maye said.
The New England Patriots Flipped the Script in Week 4
Heading into Week 4, the Patriots were scuffling. At 1-2, they had just been humiliated by the Jacksonville Jaguars. That was a game that looked like one of the worst of Drake Maye’s young career. Worse, it was the third week in a row when the offense struggled.
With that, the narratives began to grow around Maye and the offense. In many cases, they were incredibly harsh narratives.
That would all change again in Week 4. The Patriots entered Buffalo as an underdog and left with an upset win. Better yet, Maye would lead a come from behind drive that ended in a highlight touchdown pass to win.
It was only one game, but the Patriots and Maye flipped the script. Now, it’s a matter of whether or not they can keep on the right track.
What’s Next for the Patriots?
The Patriots return home for just their second home game of the season on Sunday. There, they’ll take on the Las Vegas Raiders, who opened the season looking at a rebuild but have gotten off to an excellent start.
For the Patriots, it’s a test to prove that they can get back to playing consistently. It’s also a test to prove they can beat the teams that they were projected to be better than going into the season.
The Patriots won’t have a bye until Week 11. So, in the meantime, if something does need to be fixed, it will need to be fixed on the fly.
Patriots QB Drake Maye Sends Warning to Rest of the NFL