FOXBORO — Start faster. Hit the open man. Convert in the red zone.
Those are all priorities for Drake Maye in the wake of the Patriots’ uninspiring Week 1 loss to the Las Vegas Raiders.
New England’s second-year quarterback pinpointed several areas he hopes to improve after his team found the end zone just once and managed only 13 points in its first game under new head coach Mike Vrabel.
“Part of it’s moving on, and part of it’s learning from stuff throughout the game,” Maye said Wednesday. “(We need to) get off on a better start. First possession, three-and-out. We had some good field position on that first possession, so we have to find a way to start faster. I think that’s kind of a theme for the team. I think from there, there’s some throws I’d like to have back. I feel like I say that every game, but particularly ones where I felt like I had guys open. And from there, just down in the red zone. We need to get better down in the red zone, whether it’s decision-making on my part or accuracy or just in general. We’ve got to score touchdowns when we’re down in the red zone.”
The Patriots went 4-for-14 on third down and 1-for-3 in the red zone against the Raiders, and Maye had some issues with accuracy, firing passes over the heads of wide receiver DeMario Douglas and tight end Hunter Henry. He also threw an interception while absorbing a hit from edge rusher Maxx Crosby and showed questionable ball security on a fourth-quarter strip sack.
Overall, though, Maye said he felt encouraged by his performance. He finished 30-for-46 for 287 yards and one touchdown with one pick.
“Sometimes, (I was) rushing them,” Maye said. “I think I see them and kind of rushed it to get it out as quick as I can. The one to (Douglas), he was getting close to the sideline … so I tried to get it out as quick as I can to him to get the first. But from there, really, I felt like I was throwing it pretty good and seeing it well. So I think sometimes, it’s just throws that (make you say), ‘Man, that could have helped us.’ I thought I made some pretty good throws throughout the game that I felt good about accuracy-wise, so I’m not going to over-harp on too much. But at the same time, you’ve got to hit guys when they’re open. So it’s an even balance.”
Growing pains are to be expected in an offense with this many new pieces — including coordinator Josh McDaniels, receivers Stefon Diggs and Mack Hollins, and four new O-line starters — but the Patriots need to see improvement from that Maye-led unit in the coming weeks, beginning with this Sunday’s matchup against the Miami Dolphins.
The loss to Las Vegas was the 20th consecutive game in which New England failed to score more than 25 points. It hasn’t reached 30 points since Week 5 of the 2022 season.
“I think it’s something we’re working hard to fix this week,” Maye said. “That’s one game that we wish we would have had and thought we could have had, and at the same time, we’ve got pieces. We’ve got guys that played hard and did a lot of good things on Sunday, so we’ll build off that and try to learn from that and establish the run and build off that. …
“It’s my job to kind of get us going, try to start fast, and from there, take what they give me and create positive plays. And from there, I feel like if we don’t get in our own way, we’ll be fine.”
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