After last season’s success, plenty of New England Patriots fans figured the team had found its footing again. Mike Vrabel had things moving in the right direction, Drake Maye finished second in MVP voting, and suddenly New England looked like a team capable of hanging around the AFC picture for years.
Three weeks into the new season, that confidence has taken a hit.
The Patriots are 1-2, with two ugly losses already on the books, and the early struggles have produced exactly what happens whenever a talented team starts stumbling: questions. Lots of them.
And right in the middle of those questions are Vrabel and Maye.
Speculation has grown that there could be some friction between the head coach and his quarterback. Now Maye is addressing it directly.
Drake Maye Shuts Down Talk of Trouble With Mike Vrabel
Maye has been one of the biggest reasons New England has struggled through three games. His numbers have been rough, his turnovers have piled up, and questions have even surfaced about whether his shoulder is still bothering him.
Maye did little initially to quiet that possibility.
Vrabel, however, didn’t seem convinced there was a physical issue. Some of his comments were interpreted as something more concerning — perhaps a lack of confidence in his quarterback.
Maye says that is not what is happening.
“Coach Vrabel’s been one of the best football coaches I’ve had in my life,” Maye said, making it clear that his relationship with Vrabel remains intact.
That matters, because cameras caught a moment during New England’s Week 3 loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars that was always going to attract attention.
After Maye committed his third turnover of the game, Vrabel was seen on the sideline with his arms around his quarterback’s shoulder pads. In a winning season, that moment probably disappears in about 15 seconds.
When a team is struggling? Different story.
Suddenly everybody wants to know what was said, what it meant and whether something bigger is brewing behind the scenes.
Maye insists there isn’t.
Maye Says He Still Loves Playing for Vrabel
“I’ve loved playing for him, and it’s not going to change,” Maye said. “The way he pushes me, and he coaches the quarterbacks in a way that I really respect. And I’m looking forward to getting going, proving to Coach that I can lead this football team and play good football.”
There it is.
No dancing around the subject. No vague answer about everyone needing to communicate better. Maye publicly backed his coach and acknowledged something else at the same time: he needs to play better.
Because right now, the numbers are difficult to ignore.
Maye has seven turnovers against only one touchdown through three games. That includes a game-ending interception against the Drew Lock-led Seattle Seahawks in Week 1.
For a quarterback coming off an MVP runner-up season, that is one enormous early-season reversal.
Drake Maye’s Turnovers Have Become a Major Problem
Maye’s struggles have also hammered his standing in advanced quarterback rankings.
He currently sits No. 29 in PFN’s Quarterback Impact Metrics, behind quarterbacks including Bo Nix, Malik Willis, Cam Ward and Deshaun Watson.
That is not where New England expected its franchise quarterback to be three weeks into the season.
Still, here’s the interesting part: the support appears to run both ways.
Vrabel had already pushed back on the idea that he was losing faith in Maye earlier in the week.
“I had choices as to where I wanted to coach,” Vrabel said. “I wanted to coach here because Drake was the quarterback.”
That is a fairly straightforward endorsement.
Patriots Face a Huge Test Against the Bills
Now comes the part that matters more than any quote.
New England travels to Highmark Stadium in Week 4 to face the Buffalo Bills.
A victory would do wonders for the mood around the Patriots. Get to 2-2, beat Buffalo on the road, and suddenly much of the noise surrounding Vrabel and Maye probably gets a whole lot quieter.
Another turnover-filled loss?
Well, then the questions aren’t going anywhere.
That is the reality for New England right now. Maye says he believes in Vrabel. Vrabel says Maye is one of the reasons he wanted the Patriots job in the first place.
The relationship may be fine.
Now they have to fix the football.
