New England Patriots rookie quarterback Drake Maye put the team on his back in Sunday’s game against the Los Angeles Rams. He even had a shot at carrying them over the finish line on a potential comeback drive late in the fourth quarter.
However, an inadvertent pass right into the awaiting arms of Rams safety Kamren Kinchens brought an end to the game.
After building some momentum with a big win over the Chicago Bears last week, the Patriots came crashing back down to Earth in a 28-22 loss to the Rams.
Maye looked at his best under center. He was reading the defense and seeing the field like he’d been playing in the NFL for several years. You would have never known he was a rookie making only his sixth NFL start. He went 30-of-40 passing for 281 yards, two touchdowns and one interception.
His favorite target was veteran wideout Kendrick Bourne, who was benched last week. Bourne returned for his best game of the season with five receptions for 70 yards and one touchdown.
The biggest issue for the Patriots was on the defensive side of the ball. They failed to generate any turnovers or consistent pressure on Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford. There were plays where Stafford seemingly had all day to throw in the pocket. He made the Patriots pay with a tremendous performance of 295 passing yards and four touchdowns.
The Patriots defense gave up a whopping 402 total yards in the game. This wasn’t anywhere near the dominant defensive front that showed up against the Bears last week.
Losing feels all too familiar for this Patriots team, but they’ll attempt to dust themselves off and recuperate ahead of a Week 12 matchup on the road against the Miami Dolphins.
