Happy Monday, I’m Andy Nesbitt filling in for Dan Gartland this morning. I must start this off by admitting something—I’m exhausted from watching all of the football this past weekend.
In today’s SI:AM:
The Patriots Have a Serious Drake Maye Problem
Speaking of football and the weekend, we saw a lot of wild things happen in the NFL on Sunday. The Commanders stunned the Seahawks just a week after losing Jayden Daniels to an injury. The Raiders moved to 3–0 (!) with a comeback win over the Saints in New Orleans. And the Rams dropped to 1–2 after falling apart in the very entertaining second half against the Broncos.
But arguably the biggest story of the day has to do with the other team from last season’s Super Bowl—the New England Patriots. We’re only three weeks into the season, but two things are very clear so far: Drake Maye is not the same guy he was last year, and the Patriots should be very concerned about their 24-year-old quarterback.
Maye had a dreadful game against the Jaguars on Sunday. He threw two awful interceptions, had the weirdest fumble we’ll probably see all season and then watched from the sideline in the fourth quarter as his backup, Tommy DeVito, took the final snaps in a 35-6 loss that dropped New England to 1–2.
Last year, Maye couldn’t do anything wrong. This year, he can’t do anything right. He had a brutal performance in a Week 1 loss to the Seahawks in which his mind-boggling interception in the final minutes cost his team a win. In a Week 2 win over the Steelers, he didn’t throw a touchdown pass and had another interception. And then he completely fell apart against the Jaguars in Week 3.
A very sullen Maye addressed his struggles after Sunday’s loss, saying “this league will humble you quick.” His stats so far this year—one touchdown pass, six interceptions—back up that statement.
“I think it’s disappointing,” Maye added. “I think the ball starts rolling like that and we can’t get out of our own way. Can’t get out of my own way, personally. I’ve got to look at myself in the mirror and take this as a turning point. It’s Week 3, and at the same time we’ve got to have some fuel and realize that what we’re doing out there offensively is unacceptable. It’s been unacceptable for three weeks.”
Patriots coach Mike Vrabel had this to say about Maye’s struggles: “I think he knows what to do. I think we have to do it better. We all want to make plays, we just have to make some good ones and if it’s not there we have to make some great decisions. Sometimes you can want it too badly.”
Things don’t get any easier for the Patriots moving forward. In Week 4, they travel to Buffalo to take on Josh Allen and a Bills team that is rolling after beating the disappointing Chargers at home in Week 3. Then, in Week 5, they face the Raiders, who look like a much different team under new head coach Klint Kubiak.
Maye needs to get a lot better in a hurry, or New England could see its 2026 season be all but over well before Halloween, which would be stunning considering all the success they had last year.
The best of Sports Illustrated
- Albert Breer: Week 3 NFL Takeaways: Bills Had a Chance to Show Their Character
- Conor Orr: The Jim Harbaugh–Mike McDaniel–Justin Herbert Marriage Is a Failure So Far
- Gilberto Manzano: Davis Webb Has Quieted the Calls for Sean Payton to Resume Play-Calling
- Matt Verderame: Good, Bad and Ugly: Jaguars, Patriots Headed in Opposite Directions
- Gilberto Manzano: NFL Week 3 Lessons: Why Seven Seconds Could Define Cowboys’ Season
- Pat Forde: The Big Ten’s Power Structure Flips With Massive Road Wins
- Pat Forde: College Football Playoff Projected Bracket After Week 4
- Bryan Fischer: College Football Playoff and Bowl Projections After Week 4: Iowa Enters CFP Picture
- SI NBA Staff : Anonymous scouts break down the NBA’s Northwest Division: Jazz | Nuggets | Thunder | Timberwolves | Trail Blazers
- Eva Geitheim: The History Behind a 75-Year-Old NFL Passing Record That Still Stands
The top five…
… things I saw last night:
5. Blue Jays manager John Schneider and Max Scherzer sharing a hilarious moment on the mound in what might have been the pitcher’s final game of his stellar career.
4. Jackson Koivun looking like Tiger Woods during Team USA’s comeback win at the Presidents Cup.
3. Jameis Winston had another classic pregame interview before leading the Giants to a win over the Titans.
2. Bo Nix threw the coolest pass on a huge two-point conversion in Denver’s comeback win over the Rams.
1. Jim Nantz and J.J. Watt had so much fun while calling the frantic final seconds of the Ravens’ win over the Cowboys in Brazil.
📺 What we’re watching today …
NFL
Eagles at Bears, 8:15 p.m. ET, ABC, ESPN
With Caleb Williams out of the lineup, the Bears will turn to journeyman quarterback Case Keenum in hopes of handing Philadelphia its first loss of the season.
