Drake Maye walked away from the New England Patriots’ home opener with a victory.
He didn’t leave satisfied.
The Patriots handled the Pittsburgh Steelers 20-3 on Sept. 20, but New England’s defense supplied seven of those points. The offense settled for 13 after scoring only 10 in its season-opening loss to the Seattle Seahawks.
Maye delivered a pointed verdict on the unit’s performance afterward. Although he appreciated the win, the quarterback admitted that the same formula cannot continue bringing New England to victory.
“You’ve got to be excited and enjoy the win, but at the same time, you realize that playing like this is not going to end up with us offensively leading our team to wins,” Maye said, via the official postgame transcript. “It starts with me and starts with more juice. … We’ve got to have some urgency and a little fire under us.”
Maye Puts Patriots’ Offensive Struggles on Himself
Maye completed 14 of 22 passes for 208 yards with no touchdowns and one interception. The Patriots moved the ball beyond midfield several times, but penalties, a delay of game and other negative plays kept promising possessions from becoming touchdowns.
New England finished with 328 total yards and relied on two field goals from Andy Borregales after its opening touchdown drive. Maye repeatedly brought the problem back to his own decisions.
“Just little things that are hurting ourselves, and it is going to end up coming back to bite us,” Maye said. “It already bit us once last week. Our defense is playing great. … We’ve got to match it and have some more urgency, and it starts in practice.”
There were flashes of the explosiveness New England wanted. TreVeyon Henderson rushed for 76 yards, including a 39-yard touchdown, while Romeo Doubs caught three passes for 96 yards. The Patriots rushed for 136 yards overall.
Maye connected with Doubs for a 63-yard gain but believed a better throw might have produced a touchdown. He also second-guessed his interception on a first-down shot intended for Hunter Henry, saying he could have checked the ball underneath and extended the drive.
Patriots’ Defense Gives Maye Time to Find Answers
New England’s defense ruled the day. The Patriots held Pittsburgh to 235 yards and two conversions on 12 third-down attempts. Christian Barmore forced an Aaron Rodgers fumble that Elijah Ponder returned 19 yards for a fourth-quarter touchdown.
The Patriots also recorded four sacks, while Gabe Jacas intercepted Rodgers late. The result marked the franchise’s 600th regular-season victory, making New England the first of the original eight AFL teams to reach that number, per the Patriots’ official game notes.
Head coach Mike Vrabel was content to enjoy the victory before reviewing the offense. When asked whether he was concerned about Maye and the group, Vrabel replied, “Just trying to win the game. You’re not going to ruin my Sunday.”
Maye took a sharper view. He said the Patriots should have returned from halftime prepared to “put it on them and put the game away,” especially with the defense continually creating opportunities.
That urgency becomes more important after right guard Mike Onwenu exited with an ankle injury. Maye called the scene “heartbreaking” and praised Onwenu’s toughness before expressing “full confidence” in replacement Greg Van Roten.
The Patriots earned a much better result than last week, one that was sorely needed after an 0-1 start because the schedule has more challenges ahead.
Patriots’ Drake Maye Warns of Future Trouble Despite 20-3 Steelers Win