FOXBORO — Patriots quarterback Drake Maye played one of his worst games of the season in Saturday’s loss to the Chargers, but it’s still clear how much the rookie has improved since his final season at UNC last year.
Maye, who’s completed 66.8% of his passes for 2,276 yards with 15 touchdowns and 10 interceptions this season, has been a major bright spot in an otherwise bleak Patriots season.
Maye was asked what stands out about how he’s improved since his final game at UNC last November.
“Yeah, I think just being more definitive in my feet, decisive drops, decisive eyes, decisiveness in general,” Maye said. “I think there’s a lot of times I’m kind of hopping back there in college and trying to be decisive, plant my feet and let it go. In the NFL, I think you’ve got to play on time. You’ve got to play with anticipation. So, I think, like I said, I feel like I see it well, and I’ve got good feel. So, I think just getting more and more reps in this offense, being able to change some stuff and hopefully get to that level. So, there’s a lot of area for me to grow in this offense, and I appreciate what AVP (offensive coordinator Alex Van Pelt), (quarterbacks coach) T.C. (McCartney) and those guys have done.”
Maye was just 12-of-22 for 117 yards with a touchdown and lost fumble against the Chargers. His 35.0 QBR was the second-lowest mark of his rookie season. He had a 32.3 QBR in Week 6, his first career start. He also had a 35.8 QBR in a Week 15 loss to the Cardinals. He has a 59.0 QBR overall this season.
“I just really didn’t get in the rhythm,” Maye said of his struggles against the Chargers. “I think getting in the rhythm, I think that’s part of easy completions, finding these completions. It’s partly on me, and I think just offensively, we didn’t execute. We didn’t execute.
“They were a good defense; obviously, they’re top defense in the league for a reason. They had good players, and I think we just didn’t execute. We had a chance where we could move the ball on them some and had a chance to make some plays; I think we just didn’t execute. My ball placement can be better, and against the blitz, I can be better and little things in that area.”
Maye missed one series while getting evaluated for a head injury. He was pulled for the Patriots’ final possession when the game was out of hand.
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