Seven months after playing in the Super Bowl, the Patriots are 1-2 and Drake Maye leads the NFL in interceptions. Through three games he has 585 passing yards, one touchdown and six picks, plus a lost fumble. Sunday's 35-6 loss in Jacksonville was the low point so far. Maye went 14 of 25 for 199 yards with two interceptions and a 48.6 passer rating, the second-worst of his career, and he turned the ball over three times in all. Afterward Mike Vrabel said his concern level was "very high for this football team."
The drop is hard to overstate. In 2025 Maye completed 72 percent of his passes for 4,394 yards, 31 touchdowns and eight interceptions. He led the league in completion percentage, yards per attempt (8.9) and passer rating (113.5), added 450 rushing yards and four rushing scores, and finished second to Matthew Stafford in MVP voting. New England went 14-3 and reached Super Bowl LX, where it lost 29-13 to Seattle.
Fantasy managers should know this slump didn't start in September. Counting last season's four playoff games, Maye has thrown seven touchdowns against 10 interceptions over his last seven games, and he has been sacked 30 times and fumbled nine times in that span. His late-season numbers were already slipping before the calendar turned.
The offense around him has been a big part of it. New England has 36 points in three games, the third-fewest by a defending conference champion in the Super Bowl era. The Patriots are scoring 0.97 points per drive, and no team had finished under one point per drive since the 2021 Jets. Their -0.21 EPA per play is the worst since the 2023 Jets. The running game hasn't helped either, at 3.9 yards per carry, tied for 19th.
Losing A.J. Brown hurt right away. The Patriots sent a 2028 first-round pick to Philadelphia for him in June, and he sprained his right ankle (a high ankle sprain) in the opener, a 13-10 loss in Seattle. He is now on injured reserve. Without him, Maye has looked mostly to Mack Hollins and Romeo Doubs. When he throws to wide receivers this year, he has no touchdowns and five interceptions.
The offensive line has been hit just as hard. Right guard Mike Onwenu broke his ankle in Week 2. Greg Van Roten replaced him, then hurt his thigh in Jacksonville and went on injured reserve. Right tackle Morgan Moses also left that game and missed Wednesday's practice with a foot injury, which pushed first-round rookie Caleb Lomu into the lineup. The result shows up in the pressure numbers. Maye has been pressured on 41.4 percent of his dropbacks, up from 33.9 percent last season. Under pressure, 36 percent of his throws have been off target, more than double last year's 17 percent.
Defenses have changed how they play him, too. In 2025 he picked apart man coverage and posted an 89.2 QBR against it. This season opponents have played zone on 65 percent of snaps, up from 51 percent, and Cover 2 on 32 percent, up from 19. Some of the damage is also his own doing. In Jacksonville the ball slipped out of his hand mid-throw for a fumble that set up the Jaguars' first touchdown. Later, right after a 38-yard completion to DeMario Douglas, he threw an end-zone interception to Travis Hunter.
The rest of the team made it worse. A Moses holding penalty wiped out a Maye rushing touchdown, and a Doubs pass interference flag left the offense facing first-and-30. Andy Borregales missed a field goal. Before Jacksonville, the defense had allowed 8.0 points per game, but the Jaguars converted 8 of 12 third downs.
What has to change? The answer starts with ball security, because no offense can survive two turnovers a game. Vrabel's message is about calming down. "We need to stop trying to choke the life out of every single play. We need to relax," he said, adding that the plays have to be hit in practice before they can be trusted on Sunday. Maye called the offense "unacceptable" and said the team has to "look in the mirror and take this as a turning point." Beyond that, the fixes are clear even if they aren't quick. The line needs bodies back, the running game needs to be good enough that the offense isn't stuck in third-and-long, and Maye has to take what zone defenses give him rather than force throws downfield. Brown coming back would help most, but injured reserve keeps him out for at least four games.
Maye says the right shoulder that showed up on this week's injury report isn't affecting his play or his decisions, and he practiced fully Wednesday. Week 4 won't be easy. The Patriots play at unbeaten Buffalo on Sunday at 1 p.m. ET. Cornerback Christian Gonzalez and defensive tackle Christian Barmore joined Moses as non-participants Wednesday.
For fantasy managers, Maye's 2025 production and his rushing floor are still reasons not to give up on him in long-term formats. But six interceptions, a thin receiving corps and a patched-up right side of the line make him a hard player to start right now. Unless you're in a superflex or two-quarterback league, keep him on the bench against Buffalo. Before trusting him again, look for fewer turnovers and protection that holds up.