Drake Maye rides the rookie rollercoaster, and 9 more takeaways from Patriots-Titans

10 things we learned about the Patriots in Week 9 of the NFL season.

Fresh off their second win of the season, the New England Patriots travelled to Nashville to take on one of the worst teams in football. If there ever was a win to be had this season, this was it. Alas, it was not meant to be: the Patriots looked like they had for much of the season, and simply were unable to play consistent football to secure a win.

Let’s get into our takeaways from the 20-17 overtime loss to the Tennessee Titans.

Drake Maye rides the rookie rollercoaster

The Patriots have a lot of needs to make their team better, but quarterback doesn’t appear to be one of them. In just his fourth career start, Drake Maye made some absolutely incredible plays.

The final play of regulation was, of course, one of the best plays you’ll ever see a QB make. He just kept running around for almost 11 seconds, broke a sack attempt, and then somehow still found Rhamondre Stevenson in the end zone as he was taken down by two defenders.

Maye’s improvisational ability and skillset when moved off his spot are two of the main reasons why the Patriots drafted him third overall in April. It showed on the final play of regulation against the Titans.

However, there were also some really bad plays as well. The strip sack from behind was also brutal, and the first interception might have been the worst throw he made all day. His game-ending interception in overtime also was a head-scratcher, and a play he would want back.

“Some decisions that I made throughout the game that would have impacted the outcome,” he said after the game. “I take that upon myself. Those guys battled up front. The receivers were battling. Thought I found a way at the end of the fourth and just came up short. I got to go back and learn from it, especially me, I got to take these and take advantage of these reps that I’m getting in the game, and I got to play better.”

The simple fact is that Drake Maye can make plays that not many players in the NFL can make, but he also can make some bad plays from time to time. You’re going to have to live with them, because the great plays will make it worth it.

Remember how bad Josh Allen was his first two seasons? Maye is doing this in the first half of his first season, and that’s pretty impressive. Now it is all about growth, and the Patriots making things easier for him by putting better talent around him especially along the offensive line.

For now, he will continue riding the rookie rollercoaster and hope to come out better because of it.

“He’ll learn from his mistakes. That’s one thing if you want to go back to a characteristic, he learns from his mistakes, and he’ll be better for it,” said head coach Jerod Mayo.

“I think sometimes, as well as he has played, sometimes you forget how young he is. And he’s going to continue to develop, and he’ll be a good quarterback in this league.”

Running game just can’t get going

When the season started, the Patriots looked like they were going to be a running team; in fact, they said so themselves. In the last three games, however, Rhamondre Stevenson has 82 rushing yards on 37 carries, good for just 2.2 yards per carry.

Now, I’m not going to use the “S” word, but, if you want to be viewed as a tough team, you’re going to have to do better that that. On Sunday, the Patriots sure were not: outside of Drake Maye gaining 95 yards on eight scrambles, the team had just 15 yards and a touchdown on 12 carries.

“It can get frustrating, especially when we’re losing,” Stevenson said after the game. “If we were winning, I wouldn’t be that frustrated but, adding the two together is very frustrating.”

The hope is that, by building some continuity on the offensive line, and maybe mixing up some play calls, the Patriots can turn things around on the ground. Forcing your rookie quarterback to have to put the offense on his shoulders every week is not a formula for success.

Marcus Jones ripe for a bigger role?

Another bright spot for the Patriots was Marcus Jones. He played pretty well on defense, but special teams is where he really shined on Sunday.

First, he had a 44-yard punt return, which he fielded inside his own 5-yard line. The fearlessness to take the ball and return it from there is one of the things that makes him so much fun to watch. He also had a 25-yard runback at the end of the game to set the Patriots up at the midfield with time running out and the Patriots down seven points.

Once he has the ball in his hands, his explosiveness stands out, which makes one wonder if maybe the Patriots should try to get him the ball in other ways as well. They used him on offense at times in 2022, and given their lack of firepower on that side of the ball that might be a consideration again.

Hunter Henry is the Patriots’ most reliable receiver

The Patriots may not field many blue chip weapons on offense, but the most reliable one they have continues to be Hunter Henry. He just gets open constantly, and catches most passes thrown his way. He may not be the most explosive player on the team, but, when the Patriots need a conversion — like at the end of the game on fourth down — he comes up big.

Henry led the team in receiving again, catching seven passes for 56 yards. If the Patriots can get some other receivers playing well, then maybe they will be able to make things a little easier for Drake Maye.

Situational football is a problem

The Patriots have had consistent issues with situational football this year, and Sunday was no exception. After making two quick passes to Kendrick Bourne to start their final drive of the second quarter, the Patriots decided to run the ball up the middle the next two plays, ending the series and forcing them to punt the ball back to the Titans.

The Patriots need to figure out what they are trying to do, and the play calling in these situations has been concerning. They have to figure things out, because right now they are hurting their chances of winning with the way they have been finishing their end-of-half drives.

Shaking up the offensive line doesn’t work

The Patriots have had a lot of trouble with continuity on the offensive line this year, which is why coming out with a different offensive line Sunday — despite everyone being healthy — was a confusing decision. For whatever reason, they decided to put Layden Robinson at right guard and move Michael Onwenu back out to right tackle.

It was a plan that almost instantly backfired, because Robinson couldn’t block to save his life against Jeffery Simmons, and was benched after 21 snaps.

“Mike ended up kicking into guard,” explained Jerod Mayo after the game.. We felt like, we needed to match up with one of their best players. Again, when you watch the film, you’re going to see the interior of the pocket at times was soft. We thought putting our best player in there was the best thing to do for the team.”

For a team that has struggled along the O-line, you have to wonder why they ever thought that mixing things up would be a good idea.

Coaching miscues continue

The decision to mix up the offensive line was far from the only curious decision by the coaching staff. The defensive play calling was rough all day as well, for example.

Yes, the Patriots are short-handed on defense, but they were completely unable to stop the run, and seemed content to just let the Titans push the ball down their throats. They also played off coverage most of the game, which made it pretty easy for Mason Rudolph — let me repeat, Mason Rudolph — to carve up the defense with ease: Tennessee’s backup QB finished with 20 completions on 33 attempts for 290 yards with two touchdowns and an interception.

The offense was similarly perplexing, with them being unable to run the ball with their backs all game, and some really weird swing passes that had no chance of working from the start.

You also have to wonder how prepared the Patriots are for their games. The mental mistakes they make seem to accumulate every week, and the head coach is the one responsible for them being prepared. Most of the coaching staff is brand new, and learning on the job, but they are going to need to figure them out soon, because the Patriots need to right this ship — and make sure they have the right coaches in place for when the roster improves.

Ja’Lynn Polk should be sitting

Ja’Lynn Polk needs a timeout. The Patriots’ second-round draft pick played only nine offensive snaps on Sunday, and still found a way to finish with two penalties.

He showed the potential to be able to contribute on an NFL team during training camp, but his mind doesn’t seem to be in the right spot at the moment and he should be a healthy scratch until he can get things straight. With limited weapons on offense, the Patriots can’t afford to have guys out there who can’t be trusted to make positive contributions.

The trade deadline is looming

With less than 48 hours until the NFL trade deadline, the Patriots have some decisions to make. They are a rebuilding team, but that doesn’t necessarily mean that they shouldn’t be looking to add talent to their roster at the trade deadline.

They need to be careful, because they don’t want to give up too much to get a player, unless they see him as a real asset for the future of the team, and they also don’t want to trade away players who could be a part of their future as well. They need to toe the line of moving on from players that they don’t view as being key pieces for them, getting as many assets as they can, and also building their team for the future.

In the end, the best thing to do is probably just make a few small moves, but they should be calling about any players that they think could help them moving forward.

Patriots travel to Chicago next week

Next week, the first and third overall picks will battle in Chicago. The Patriots defense is going to have their work cut out for them with Caleb Williams and the rest of the weapons on this Bears offense, and their defense has been pretty solid as well. It’s going to be a tough game, but it should be fun to watch what could be two of the best quarterbacks in the league for years to come play in their first seasons.