5 Areas the New England Patriots Need to Improve NOT Named Drake Maye

Drake Maye has been the subject of disdain from fans and media alike as the New England Patriots (1-2) have struggled to find solid footing to begin the 2026 regular season. 

While his continued inefficiencies were put on display against the Jacksonville Jaguars (2-1) on Sunday, New England’s blowout loss revealed several more flaws that need to be addressed if the team is to bounce back quickly. Maye has been an issue, but he’s far from the only factor hindering the progress of this fall’s Patriots squad. Ineptitudes in all three phases have plagued New England through September, and will need to be addressed with haste if they’re to put a better product on the field against the Buffalo Bills (3-0) at Highmark Stadium in their next contest. 

Here are five areas NOT named Drake Maye that the Patriots will need to improve:

New England’s offense has been sputtering to begin 2026, and that’s extended past Maye and the passing attack to the Patriots’ ground game. 

Without any semblance of balance offensively, the vast majority of the workload has been placed on the quarterback’s shoulders to carry production — much like it was in 2025, when Maye accounted for 73.6% of New England’s 7,949 total yards gained in 2025 (5,850 total yards; 5,222 yards passing, 628 yards rushing). 

The results through the air have been far different, but the Patriots’ ineffectiveness in establishing a consistent ground game have not. Against Jacksonville, New England running backs TreVeyon Henderson (eight carries, 23 yards, 2.9 yards per carry) and Rhamondre Stevenson (seven carries, 22 yards, 3.1 yards per carry) combined for 15 rushes, 45 rushing yards, and averaged just 3.0 yards per carry. As a team, the Patriots ran 26 times and gained 83 yards for an average of 3.2 yards per carry. Of New England’s 83 yards on the ground, 64 came after contact. They had a 30.8% success rate running the ball in the game — a new season-low (per SūmerSports).

On the season, the Patriots rank 17th in the NFL in rushing success rate (41.2%), 20th in yards-per-carry (3.86), and have gained 227 yards after contact to just 101 yards before contact. They hold the ninth-highest stuffed run rate in the league at 23.0%, while seeing heavy-box numbers at the 25th-highest rate (20.0%).

New England hasn’t gotten stable contributions from their rushing attack, and their lack of success has been independent of defensive scheme or personnel. Finding and maintaining balance will be key to supporting Maye as he works his way back to form, but that will be much more difficult to achieve if the offense is in a one-dimensional, drop-back pass game for a full 60-minutes in an attempt to gain yards. More is expected from the running back position, but the results haven’t been there through three weeks.

A relatively new supporting cast of receivers has taken time to make meaningful connections and build trust with the quarterback, as well.

In 2025, it was Stefon Diggs that Maye turned to in critical situations — and with great success. Diggs starred with 85 receptions on 102 targets (83.3% catch rate, first in the NFL), 1,013 receiving yards (11.9 yards per reception), and four touchdowns. Kayshon Boutte was Maye’s most trusted target on the perimeter. In 14 games, Boutte hauled in 33 receptions on 46 targets with 551 receiving yards (16.7 yards per catch, fourth in the NFL), and six touchdowns. On deep passes 20-plus yards downfield, he caught 10-of-14 targets (71.4% catch rate) with 266 receiving yards, five touchdowns, and accounted for a passer rating of 153.3 when targeted on such throws.

Diggs has been replaced in the slot by DeMario Douglas, and Boutte by Mack Hollins — sans A.J. Brown. Through three games, Douglas has recorded seven catches on 14 targets and 67 receiving yards, but has just one catch in each of the last two games. Hollins currently leads all Patriots’ receivers with 12 receptions, 16 targets, and 156 receiving yards, showcasing the versatility and dependability that made him an integral part of the team’s 2025 success. Hollins’ 46 catches and 65 targets ranked as the second-highest marks for New England wide receivers during last year’s regular season, trailing only Diggs.

Free agent addition Romeo Doubs has taken over as the offense’s top “Z” receiver, and has registered six catches on 11 targets (two drops) and 145 yards — with 96 coming in Week 2 alone.

Maye’s lack of chemistry with those players has shown, and it’s led to indecision, sacks, turnovers, and a timid-looking quarterback in the pocket. One year removed from an MVP-caliber showing, Maye’s greatest strength has become his most challenging adversary: decision-making. The blame doesn’t lie solely at the feet of a relatively new receiving corps, but missing his most valued targets in “must-have” situations has clearly impacted Maye — and his wideouts’ efficiency metrics.

The core of the Patriots’ offensive issues may stem from the trenches and emanate outward, but it’s taken a much different form than in 2025. Last year, it was the youth-filled left side of New England’s offensive line that was the source of many of the group’s complications. This fall, those problems have been to the right of the center. 

With right guards Mike Onwenu and Greg Van Roten both on injured reserve, the Patriots turned to cutdown day addition Walter Rouse to plug the gap along the interior — and it was a bumpy ride against the Jaguars. Rouse allowed four pressures, three hurries, and a sack in pass protection, and failed to generate any push off the line of scrimmage as a run blocker.

Not to be outdone, Rouse was flanked at right tackle by a faltering Morgan Moses, who allowed three pressures to Travon Walker and was flagged on the holding penalty that negated Maye’s would-be 21-yard touchdown run in the second quarter. Moses was taken out of the game in the third quarter in favor of rookie Caleb Lomu, raising questions about the 34-year-old’s health after spending the week listed on the injury report with a foot issue.

New England’s offensive line struggles are a part of the blame for the team’s lack of success establishing the run, but they’re also a portion of Maye’s ineffectiveness as a passer. Through three games, the Patriots have allowed pressure at the second-highest rate in the NFL (48.1% of dropbacks, per SūmerSports) and sacks at the fourth-highest rate (8.5%), while being blitzed at just the 23rd-highest rate (26.4%).

When under pressure, Maye has completed 12-of-28 attempts (42.9% completion percentage) with 183 yards, no touchdowns, three interceptions, eight sacks, and a passer rating of 25.4, per PFF. On such plays, he’s registered a 10.6% turnover-worthy play rate, which ranks third-highest in the NFL among qualifying quarterbacks.

The Patriots need more in the trenches offensively to spark consistency on the ground and give Maye a more stable pocket to work from when dropping back to pass, but their issues also span to the defensive line.

On the defensive front, the state of New England’s edge rushers has been much maligned, yet the issues span group-wide. Against the run, the Patriots rank 27th in the NFL in EPA/play against the run (+0.01) and 13th in success rate (41.3%) — even with a contest against the worst rushing offense in the league thrown into the mix in Week 2 against the Pittsburgh Steelers. New England ranks 19th in the league in yards per carry against (4.33), and boasts an NFL-worst stuffed-run percentage of just 8.6%.

While New England has found success pressuring opposing quarterbacks with a top-ten pressure-rate of 43.8% and the third-highest blitz-rate at the same number (43.8%), their success in that area has been predicated on adding additional bodies into the plan. With a standard four-man rush, the Patriots’ pressure-rate drops off to just 30.4%, which ranks 28th in the NFL.

New England’s defensive improvements situationally were apparent during the first two weeks of the regular season, but regressed in Jacksonville.

In 2025, the Patriots ranked 30th in red zone defense, allowing touchdowns to opposing offenses on 67.5% of their trips inside the 20-yard-line. A small sample size through two regular season games, New England held opponents to 0-for-3 in the red zone to start this year — but faced-off against a much more capable offense with the Jaguars.

On Sunday, Trevor Lawrence was at the helm for five drives that extended past the Patriots’ 20-yard line, and Jacksonville scored touchdowns on all five drives. 

The Patriots’ situational woes extended to third-down. Through two weeks, New England ranked first in the NFL in defensive third-down conversion rate (17.4%), but allowed the Jaguars to convert on 8-of-12 (66.7%) of attempts.

Special teams has also been an area of added concern. After missing three kicks in the preseason opener, Andy Borregales has begun regular season play with misses from 47-yards in Week 2 and 38-yards in Week 3 — both wide right. Against Jacksonville, wide receiver Kyle Williams fielded a kickoff that was headed out-of-bounds at the 9-yard-line and stepped out of his own volition. 

Mental mistakes were also rampant against the Jaguars.

In Jacksonville, the Patriots committed nine accepted penalties that gifted the opposition 68 yards. New England’s repeated infractions took points off the board in the second quarter, helped the Jaguars put points on the board in the third quarter, and extended drives on multiple occasions. 

They twice happened on back-to-back snaps: Moses’ hold and Doubs’ offensive pass interference after Marcus Jones’ interception, and on Jacksonville’s one-minute drill at the end of the first half — when edge rushers Elijah Ponder and Gabe Jacas took turns jumping into the neutral zone. The Patriots were flagged for pre-snap penalties on defense three times after Milton Williams leaped offside in the third quarter.

Hollins’ fourth-quarter taunting penalty was the icing on the cake. He gained nine yards on a 3rd-and-10 in-cut, and his celebration into the faces of the Jaguars’ defensive backs after being stopped short of the line to gain and facing a 28-3 deficit took his team out of four-down territory.

New England’s penalties have extended to the sidelines, as well. In Week 2’s win over Pittsburgh, Mike Vrabel was flagged for a delay of game that ultimately led to the Steelers’ lone score of the game. 

The Patriots’ lack of discipline has been contagious, but it’s also an area that’s most easily rectified. Those errors are the “stuff that gets you beat” and cannot become repeat violations if New England is to bounce back in divisional play.

How do you think New England will bounce back against Buffalo this weekend? Drop your thoughts in the comments below and join the conversation on Patriots Roundtable.

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Recent Articles:

- Is It Time For the New England Patriots to be Concerned About Drake Maye?

- All-22 Review: Maye’s Turnover Woes Persistent in Patriots’ Loss to Jaguars

- 10 Key Takeaways from the New England Patriots’ Blowout Loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars

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