Former North Carolina quarterback Drake Maye appeared to lie to reporters before Sunday's Super Bowl loss to the Seattle Seahawks in Santa Clara, California.
It's unclear how effective former North Carolina quarterback Drake Maye would have been on Sunday had he not played through a shoulder injury.
The New England Patriots signal-caller had an impossible task to dodge the Seattle Seahawks front seven. Maye's offensive line did him no favors, giving up six sacks for -43 yards.
Maye finished with 295 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions. 235 of those passing yards came in the fourth quarter when the game was well out of reach for the Patriots.
The second-year quarterback also lost a fumble in the 29-13 loss to the Seahawks in Santa Clara, California.
Maye told reporters last week that he didn't think his right (throwing) shoulder would be an issue in the Super Bowl.
“I’m not trying to lie to you guys when I say I’m feeling great,” Maye said. “I’m feeling great, and looking forward to getting out there today. Another day of practice, we got one tomorrow, and feeling pretty good.”
Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk suggested the former Tar Heels quarterback wasn't being honest about how he was feeling. Maye received a painkilling injection before the Super Bowl.
"Those things aren’t done preemptively," Florio wrote. "He had a condition that was causing significant discomfort to require the area to be numbed so that he would have a chance to play as he normally does...
"He wasn’t trying to lie when he said he was feeling great. He was, as suggested by the painkilling injection he received six days later, successfully doing so."
Maye told reporters after the game that he didn't think the shoulder injury was the root of his rough night.
"I think it would be hard to say that," Maye said, via ESPN. "I was feeling good enough to be out there," he said. "I wouldn't put the team in harm's way to not be myself. Just didn't make plays tonight."
He just thinks the team didn't play up to their full potential.
"We left it all on the field and just came up short," Maye said. "We didn't play our best, and that's what happens. ... It's going to sting for a while, but that's what you sign up for."
Maye missed several easy open throws, even when he wasn't under duress from the stout Seahawks defense.
The shoulder issue appeared to have some impact on his play. Though how much it caused Maye to struggle might never be known.