The New England Patriots suffered a brutal 35-6 defeat against the Jacksonville Jaguars, which revealed significant concerns about their roster. The team's injury woes worsened as veteran guard Greg Van Roten was placed on injured reserve due to a thigh injury. With Van Roten becoming the 17th player to go on IR this season, surpassing last year’s total, the protection for franchise quarterback Drake Maye has diminished significantly. In Week 3, Maye faced an alarming 47% pressure rate and struggled under the duress.
The issues are exacerbated by a depleted offensive line and a lack of weapons, severely hampering the offense. Additionally, attention has turned to Maye’s decision-making. An in-depth evaluation by ESPN insider Dan Graziano highlighted Maye's “occasionally disastrous” decisions that are hurting his performance. Although he isn't consistently a poor decision-maker, his catastrophic mistakes, such as collapsing in late-game situations and committing costly turnovers, are proving to be very damaging. While league observers do not believe Maye has completely regressed, there are growing concerns that the young star, who was the runner-up for MVP and reached the Super Bowl last season, is struggling to eliminate high-risk errors from his game.
Despite the offensive struggles and the unit ranking last in points per drive, backup quarterback Tommy DeVito provided a vote of confidence. In an interview with Andrew Callahan of the Boston Herald, DeVito explained that high-repetition practice plays can sometimes lead to mistakes in live game situations due to minor margins of error.
As the New England Patriots work to improve their offense, which is currently averaging just 0.97 points per drive, finding consistency for Maye will be crucial in determining whether they can salvage their season.