There was a lot to like about Drake Maye's performance in the New England Patriots' 20-17 overtime loss to the Tennessee Titans on Sunday.
The rookie quarterback -- who was making his fourth career start -- led the team with 95 rushing yards. He also forced OT with a fantastic play at the end of regulation -- evading pass rushers for almost 12 seconds before finding Rhamondre Stevenson with a game-tying five-yard touchdown pass.
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Maye's teammates (and even some Titans players) had lots of praise for him after the game. Veteran defensive tackle Davon Godchaux even called him "Josh Allen 2.0".
But there were also plenty of mistakes from Maye, a few of which you could argue really hurt the Patriots' chances of winning.
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One of them was an interception in overtime. On first-and-10 with 2:32 left on the clock, Maye fired a pass deep down the field intended for wide receiver Kayshon Boutte, but Titans defensive back Amani Hooker intercepted it to seal the victory for Tennessee.
Second INT of the day for @amanihooker37 seals it!
— Tennessee Titans (@Titans) November 3, 2024
📺: Watch #NEvsTEN on @NFLonFOX stream on NFL+ pic.twitter.com/c30Xd7ti6y
Maye was hard on himself after the game when describing what happened on the final play of the game.
"We were throwing into the wind and I have to put more on it. Just a dumb decision. Something you'd like to have back," Maye told reporters in his postgame press conference. "Especially in that situation -- we could at least tie it up. Sometimes the best play is to throw it away."
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The Patriots didn't need a home run on this play. They also didn't need a touchdown to avoid a defeat. While it's great that Maye has a cannon for an arm and that he wants to be aggressive in attacking defenses down the field, there's a time and place for taking chances like this.
Maye also threw an interception in the second quarter and lost a fumble in the fourth quarter. The Titans got great field position from that fumble and scored a touchdown to take a 17-10 lead. Overall, Maye has seven touchdowns (six passing, one rushing) and six turnovers (four interceptions, two lost fumbles) in four starts.
Maye has a ton of potential, and with each passing week it looks more and more like the Patriots made the right decision selecting him No. 3 overall in the 2024 NFL Draft. But he needs to take better care of the football. The Patriots have very little margin for error given their lack of high-end talent at most positions on the roster.
