The New England Patriots’ trip to Munich, Germany, couldn’t have gone much worse.
The Detroit Lions blew out New England 35-10 at Allianz Arena on Sunday. It dropped the Patriots to 5-5 heading into their bye week. And they lost quarterback Drake Maye to an ankle injury on the game’s opening drive.
Lions defensive end Aidan Hutchinson dragged Maye down from behind on a third-down sack and landed on the quarterback’s lower leg in what looked like a possible hip-drop tackle. No flag was thrown.
Maye limped to the sideline and headed to the locker room before being ruled out, and backup Tommy DeVito played the rest of the game. However, the bigger concern is how much time Maye could miss.
Mike Vrabel Speaks About Drake Maye Injury
Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel didn’t offer much clarity after the game. He told reporters the star QB would undergo further testing on Monday when the team gets back to the U.S.
“I don’t (have a new update on Maye),” Vrabel told reporters. “Obviously, he wasn’t able to finish the game, so we’ll have to get some more tests run and we’ll see when we come back what it ends up being and the severity of whatever injury he has.”
The Patriots haven’t announced a diagnosis beyond an ankle injury. But many believe it’s a high-ankle sprain, including former NFL team doctor David Chao.
“By video, mild right high ankle sprain,” Chao wrote on X shortly after Maye left the game. He added that Maye’s ankle was “caught at end of tackle.”
A mild high-ankle sprain typically comes with a 2-4 week recovery timeline. Chao later called it a multiweek injury and said Maye will likely miss time even after the bye, though he stressed that his video assessments aren’t formal diagnoses.
That would be uncharted territory for the third-year QB.
Maye hasn’t missed a game since taking over as the starter in Week 6 of his rookie season. He started all 17 regular-season games and four playoff games during last year’s run to Super Bowl LX.
Patriots’ Offense Fell Apart Without Drake Maye
If Sunday was any indication, the Patriots can’t afford to be without Maye for long.
Maye completed 3 of 4 passes for 48 yards and scrambled for 11 more before going down. That drive ended in a 33-yard Andy Borregales field goal, and New England didn’t find the end zone again until the fourth quarter.
DeVito finished 12 of 24 for 81 yards with a touchdown and an interception, and he was sacked four times. His lone TD — a 10-yard pass to running back Lan Larison — came with the Patriots already trailing 28-3. The offense managed just 151 total yards.
Wide receiver A.J. Brown was also ruled out in the fourth quarter with a hamstring injury after just returning from a knee issue.
Maye was in the middle of another strong season before Sunday. He’d thrown for 2,282 yards, 18 touchdowns, and 11 interceptions through nine games, just one year removed from his career-best 4,394-yard, 31-touchdown campaign.
The loss also dropped New England’s playoff chances to 54%, according to The Athletic’s projection model.
The good news is the bye came at the right time. The Patriots don’t play again until Nov. 29, when they visit the Los Angeles Chargers. Home games against the Buffalo Bills (Dec. 6) and Minnesota Vikings (Dec. 10) follow.
Mike Vrabel Gives Concerning Injury Update on QB Drake Maye