LONDON — Let’s make one thing clear: The Patriots’ loss to the Jaguars was not Drake Maye’s fault.
But that didn’t stop the rookie quarterback from shouldering the blame for some of the Patriots’ shortcomings in the 32-16 loss in London.
Maye got the Patriots out to a 10-0 lead and finished 26-of-37 for a career-high 276 passing yards with two passing touchdowns and three scrambles for 18 yards. He also took two sacks for 19 yards in his second career start.
“Other than maybe one or two other games this season, I feel like we haven’t started fast in a while,” Maye said after the game. “That was something new for us. Proud of the guys for starting fast. I think I had (wide receiver Kendrick Bourne) open on the third down, down there, on the second drive, maybe punch another one in. May be a different ball game. Couple throws here and there for me as well. And then, other than that, we just gotta find out ways to get first downs.”
The Patriots went three-and-out on three straight drives and punted on four straight possessions while letting the Jaguars take a 25-10 lead. They had a chance to cut the Jaguars’ lead to one score after Maye threw for his second touchdown pass, but rookie wide receiver Ja’Lynn Polk slipped and fell while targeted on a two-point conversion attempt. On those four drives, the Patriots ran the ball on first down four times for a loss of one yard.
“I think what Coach (Jerod) Mayo was preaching, we gotta run the football,” Maye said. “And when we do throw it on first and second down, I gotta find some completions to get us in third and manageable. Third and long is hard in this league. I thought that the guys battled especially up front, those guys are playing their butts off. I owe those guys a lot up front. And I thought we made some plays, just not good enough.”
The Patriots were penalized seven times for 35 yards in the loss. Three of those penalties were false starts on the Patriots’ offense.
Maye even took the blame for those and not communicating well enough with players on the sideline.
“Yeah, I think the little things like the false starts, that falls out on me,” Maye said. “We got to be more clear and upfront with the cadence with the O-line and and those guys.
“But other than that, took care of the football. Maybe one time, two times endangered it. … But other than that I feel like I’m seeing it well. Make a few different throws. But other than that, I think you do better job on the sideline. Sometimes pumping guys up or relaying certain messages to different guys that may — ‘you may see this. Hey, what are you thinking?’ And little things like that. But I thought we had some bright spots again today. But like I said, not good enough.”
Mayo called the Patriots a “soft” football team after the loss but praised Maye for his effort.
“I thought Drake did a good job, especially starting the game off,” Mayo said. “He made some good throws, made some plays with his legs. But again, I’ll have to go back to the film and really just study that.”
