Credit: First Take on ESPN
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The New England Patriots fell to 1-2 on Sunday after an embarrassing 35-6 loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars. In three games, the Patriots have looked nothing like the team that made it to last year’s Super Bowl before falling to the Seattle Seahawks.
A large part of the early-season struggles can be attributed to the poor play of quarterback Drake Maye, who had another rough outing against the Jaguars, throwing two interceptions and failing to reach 200 yards passing.
Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel has deflected questions about his level of concern about his young quarterback, but the rest of the sports world, such as The Ringer’s Bill Simmons, has had no problem admonishing Maye’s slow start to the season. Simmons has also floated the idea that “Post-Sedona Mike Vrabel” has lost some of his focus and is hurting the team, referencing the Dianna Russini scandal that dominated the NFL offseason.
Simmons isn’t the only one wondering whether Vrabel is the right guy to lead the Pats as things stand. On Monday’s episode of First Take on ESPN, Dan Orlovsky admitted that although he believes Maye has it in him to right the ship, he’s losing confidence in the quarterback doing so with his current head coach.
“I have not lost confidence in Drake Maye because the guy that he lost to yesterday was him in 2024. Trevor Lawrence’s confidence was shot in 2024 after the start of his career,” Orlovsky said.
“I have not lost confidence in Drake Maye. Am I losing confidence in Drake Maye and Mike Vrabel as a pairing of head coach and quarterback? I am.” – Dan Orlovsky pic.twitter.com/rGeugyODHs
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) September 28, 2026
“Multiple coaches, the turnovers, the decisions, it was awful. And all of a sudden Liam Coen comes in, and it’s this rocket ship. Now Trevor is about as confident as anybody in the NFL at that position. So I have not lost confidence in Drake Maye. Am I losing confidence in Drake Maye and Mike Vrabel as a team, as a grouping, as a pairing of head coach and quarterback? I am. Let’s have a good football conversation.”
Orlovsky went on to say that it seems to him like Maye is afraid to make mistakes under a defensive-minded head coach who is philosophically focused on limiting turnovers and making sure his team excels on defense and special teams. The analyst also acknowledged that the departure of wide receiver Stefon Diggs, who is now with the Washington Commanders, has affected New England’s offensive production, especially as newly acquired veteran AJ Brown works his way back from an ankle injury.
“The other thing I’d say is this: this offense desperately, desperately misses Stefon Diggs,” Orlovsky said. “There is something to be said for having that guy that walks out onto the field and is that, I’m always open; give me the ball, I’ll find a way to get there for you, quarterback. And they don’t have that person right now…
“I’m not telling everybody that Drake Maye’s absolved of bad decisions, but like—he’s not—someone’s got to make a play to maybe like help him get out of this funk. And right now they don’t have somebody just to go make a play for their young quarterback.”
The road ahead isn’t getting any easier for Maye, Vrabel, or New England. The Patriots will travel to Buffalo to face the 3-0 Buffalo Bills on Sunday and will have to battle through a first-place schedule the rest of the way after winning the AFC East last year. The questions and criticisms surrounding Vrabel and the Pats are only getting louder, and although New England was willing to defend its coach after a Super Bowl appearance, the distractions will be much harder to stomach if the losses keep piling up.