FOXBORO — No one needs to tell Drake Maye that he didn’t play his best football game in Sunday’s win over the Falcons.
It was one of the first things Maye said when he got to the podium Sunday afternoon after the 24-23 victory.
“I have to play better,” the Patriots quarterback said. “I’ve got to play better for this team down the road. I think it’s tough. It’s tough in a game where you win and you can feel in that locker room that these guys know we can play better.”
Maye started out hot, going 9-of-13 for 157 yards with two touchdowns until the final drive of the first half, when he coughed up the ball on a strip sack while leading 21-7. The Falcons recovered and scored, giving the Patriots just a one-score lead going into halftime.
“We really got a chance to get some more points going into halftime, and free rush there, first thing I had to do, I told our quarterback coach, just got to tuck the ball to the chest,” Maye said. “Getting in a bad habit of trying to break tackles on these guys that I don’t have a great chance of breaking a tackle on.”
The Patriots extended their lead to 24-14 with a field goal coming out of the half, but on Maye’s next drive, he had a miscommunication with tight end Hunter Henry that led to an interception.
Henry cut left, and the ball flew over his head and into Falcons safety Jessie Bates’ diving arms.
“Gave the ball back to them at midfield and it just changed the game,” Maye said.
Perhaps it says more about Maye’s MVP-caliber season through the first eight weeks of the season that a 19-of-29, 259-yard, two-touchdown, two-turnover performance is viewed as a disappointment.
Maye also added eight carries for 20 yards on the ground. He fumbled again early in the third quarter but recovered it himself.
He also completed the game-clinching pass, connecting with Henry for 17 yards on third-and-5 with 1:42 left in regulation to put the game away when the Patriots were leading 24-23.
Head coach Mike Vrabel said there was no hesitation to let Maye throw the ball, rather than calling a third straight run.
“Just go win the game,” Vrabel said.
Maye’s teammates have their quarterback’s back.
“Chin up, chest out. That (expletive) happens,” wide receiver Stefon Diggs said. “Receivers aren’t perfect. We’re not always open. We’re not always doing the right stuff. But to be able to go out there and will (us) to a win, I’ll take that any day, and I’m riding with Drake Maye.
“Things aren’t going to be perfect. I’ll tell y’all all the time, it’s hard as (expletive) to play quarterback.”
Maye was sacked six times for a loss of 38 yards in the game. PFF charged the Patriots’ offensive line with three of those in their initial game charting. The other three were on Maye.
Center Garrett Bradbury, a veteran leader, said the offensive line bears some responsibility for some of Maye’s struggles.
“The Drake miscues that he’s beating himself up (over), we had our hand in (them), too. It was protection, and we tried to make him do something that’s out of what he’s coached to do,” Bradbury said. “And so we’ve got to be better for him. We’ve got to clean the pocket up a little bit and give him some throwing lanes, because when we do, everyone knows how good it can be. So that’s how we all feel.”
The Patriots went 4-13 during Maye’s rookie season and then started this year 1-2.
So, Maye knows how hard it is to win in the NFL, and he’s still going to celebrate a victory even when he’s being hard on himself postgame.
“I think you just enjoy the wins and know deep down I’m frustrated and I want some plays back, but that’s a good defense we faced, and those guys in that locker room are cool to be around and play with,” Maye said.
The Falcons came into the contest as one of the league’s stingiest defenses, allowing less than 150 passing yards per game. Maye eclipsed that in the first half, and then he needed some help from his defense to put the game away.
Overall, Maye still generated .02 EPA (expected points added) per play. That was the second-lowest mark of his season, behind the Patriots’ Week 1 loss to the Raiders. His CPOE (completion percentage over expected) was +5.3%. That was his third-lowest mark of the season, but still on the positive side.