Mike Vrabel admits his concern ‘is very high’ for Patriots after Drake Maye commits 3 turnovers in ugly loss to Jaguars
A turnover-plagued season for Drake Maye reached a new low Sunday as he added three more against the Jacksonville Jaguars to lead the league in giveaways.
The Jags turned those giveaways into 14 points in a 35-6 loss.
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Maye’s first turnover of the day was the blooper.
The New England Patriots were on their second possession in a scoreless game. On first-and-10 from the Jacksonville 35, Maye dropped back for a pass and appeared to target wide receiver Kyle Williams, who had one-on-one coverage on a post route down the right sideline.
But he forgot one thing: throw the ball. Just before he brought his arm forward to pass, the ball slipped out of Maye’s hands.
Jaguars defensive tackle DaVon Hamilton recovered the ball and a promising Patriots possession was over.
Maye was not affected. He wasn’t even under pressure. The ball has just slipped out of his hands. The replay confirmed the on-field call that the ball had come loose before his arm came forward.
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Here’s another slow-motion look confirming the ball was out. Maye later said there was blood on the ball, which caused it to slip from his hand.
Even worse for the Patriots, the Jaguars converted the turnover into a 10-play, 62-yard touchdown drive for a 7-0 lead.
Travis Hunter’s first career choice over Maye
Unfortunately for Maye and the Patriots, he added to his turnover late in the second quarter. With just over a minute left in the first half, trailing 14-3, New England had third-and-goal at the Jacksonville 2-yard line. Maye rolled right, looking for Efton Chism III in the back of the end zone, but instead found the waiting arms of Travis Hunter. It was the first pick of the second-year two-way player’s career.
Then, in the third quarter, Maye turned the ball over again. This time, cornerback Jarrian Jones jumped a sideline pass targeting Williams and returned it 32 yards to the New England 5-yard line.
Jacksonville scored a touchdown to extend their lead to 28-3 on the next play, a bad day for Maye and the Patriots continued to get worse.
“Personally, I can’t cope,” Maye said. “I have to look in the mirror and see this as a turning point.
“We have to realize that what we are doing offensively is unacceptable. It starts with myself.”
The turnovers were Maye’s fifth, sixth and seventh this season and he now has 15 since the start of last season’s playoffs in six-plus games. His seven turnovers through three quarters of Sunday’s game are the most in the NFL compared to just one touchdown.
“My level of concern is very high for this football team,” Patriots coach Mike Vrabel told reporters after the game. “I just want to practice and get better. I think that’s the most important thing when you come out of a game like that. You just want to come back and work.”
For comparison, Maye totaled 11 turnovers in 17 games during the entire 2025 regular season en route to All-Pro honors and a second-place finish in the MVP race. Until he fixes his turnover issues, the Patriots will struggle to gain any traction in their quest to repeat as AFC champions.
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