For the most part, the New England Patriots had a successful preseason opener. They controlled the game for essentially the full 60 minutes, walking away with a 48-18 win over the visiting Washington Commanders.
Yet it wasn’t a great night for Drake Maye. The second-year quarterback with a world of expectations on his shoulders played just two series to start this game, and his opening drive ended in ugly fashion.
Facing a third-and-7 after completing two short passes to his running back, Maye tried and failed to avoid pressure. While trying to throw the ball mid-sack, Maye fumbled, and the Commanders came away with the ball at the New England 30-yard line.
The turnover was a notable blemish on an otherwise positive night, and head coach Mike Vrabel did not gloss over the impact after the game.
“That’s a bad decision,” Vrabel said. “I think we’re gonna need better from him, and I think he knows that. And that’s obvious. [The play] wasn’t there, and we just have to deal with it.”
Vrabel suggested that Maye needed to “find a way to get rid of the football or take a sack and punt and play defense.”
Vrabel was correct in his assessment that Maye knew the turnover was a bad one.
“I’ve gotta do my part of protecting the football,” Maye said before even being asked about the fumble.
When Maye was asked about the turnover, he didn’t shy away from the topic.
“Yeah, you’ve got a little bit of a drive going, third down, and just can’t do that,” Maye said. “I’m glad we responded well that next drive, but yeah, same time, I’m glad that it’s something that I can control, you know? But at the end of the day, you just can’t put the defense in that position when games matter during the season.
“I told those guys it’s on me, we’ve gotta get back out there and I’m glad I was able to get another series going.”
Maye did respond well on his second drive, completing one of his three passes for nine yards, scrambling for 11 yards to move the chains on a second-and-10, and then scrambling for a touchdown from the 5-yard line. But with a head coach who hammers home the importance of ball security, Maye surely will be given reminders of that significance when the Patriots get back to work on Sunday.
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