The New England Patriots don’t need anyone to tell them what has gone wrong with Drake Maye through the first three weeks of the season.
They’re already working on it.
Ball security was an unmistakable point of emphasis at Patriots practice Wednesday, just three days after Maye committed three turnovers in a 35-6 loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars.
And during one drill designed to challenge players to protect the football, Maye got another reminder of just how quickly it can disappear.
Linebacker Christian Elliss punched the ball out of Maye’s grasp as the quarterback worked through the drill. Running backs coach Tony Dews, who was overseeing the exercise, immediately pulled Maye aside afterward and demonstrated how he wanted the quarterback securing the football.
It was one brief sequence during a practice in Foxborough. Given everything that happened Sunday, it was also impossible to miss the significance.
Drake Maye’s Turnovers Have Become an Early Patriots Concern
Maye’s talent has never been the question for New England. Protecting the football has quickly become one.
The Patriots quarterback has committed six turnovers through the first three games of the season, including four interceptions and two lost fumbles.
Three of them came during Sunday’s nightmare in Jacksonville.
Maye’s first turnover was the strangest. The football slipped out of his hand as he prepared to throw in the first quarter, with no Jaguars defender responsible for knocking it free.
Jacksonville recovered and turned the mistake into the game’s first touchdown.
Later, with New England threatening from the Jaguars’ 2-yard line late in the second quarter, Maye tried to find Efton Chism III in the end zone. Travis Hunter intercepted the pass, giving the Jaguars rookie the first interception of his NFL career and taking another potential Patriots score off the board.
Maye threw another interception in the third quarter before eventually giving way to Tommy DeVito with Jacksonville comfortably ahead.
The mistakes weren’t solely responsible for a 29-point loss. New England had problems across the field, including protection issues that repeatedly put Maye under pressure.
But six turnovers in three games is a trend the Patriots can’t afford to let linger.
Wednesday offered a glimpse at how they’re attacking it.
Patriots Put Ball Security Under the Microscope
There was nothing particularly complicated about the drill.
The point was to make protecting the football difficult.
Maye carried the ball while teammates attempted to knock it loose, forcing him to maintain possession through contact and distractions. Elliss succeeded in punching it out, and Dews immediately stepped in with a hands-on correction.
That exchange may have lasted only seconds, but it gets directly to the challenge facing Maye now.
Tedy Bruschi pointed to the mental side of the issue earlier this week on ESPN’s “Get Up,” saying he believes the young quarterback has started pressing when mistakes happen.
“Drake is pressing,” Bruschi said. “He wants to make up for every single mistake.”
That’s how a turnover problem can snowball.
The Patriots don’t need Maye trying to erase one mistake with the next throw. They need him protecting the football, staying within the offense and moving on to the next play when something goes wrong.
Head coach Mike Vrabel has stressed the importance of avoiding that pressing mentality as New England tries to rebound from its loss in Jacksonville.
Now the Patriots have an even tougher test waiting.
New England travels to Buffalo on Sunday for an AFC East matchup against the 3-0 Bills.
The margin for error against an undefeated division opponent figures to be considerably smaller than it was during the first three weeks.
Maye doesn’t need to suddenly become conservative or stop looking for opportunities downfield. Part of what makes him dangerous is his willingness to create when a play breaks down.
But there is a difference between aggression and trying to fix everything at once.
The Patriots spent part of Wednesday working on the simplest part of that equation: when Maye has the football, keep it.
Elliss made sure he got the message.
Patriots Waste No Time Addressing Drake Maye’s Turnover Problem