New England Patriots quarterback Drake Maye received some tough criticism from Stephen A. Smith after the Seahawks loss.
Entering Wednesday night's game, New England Patriots quarterback Drake Maye was being surrounded with MVP hype. After a breakout season in 2025, the expectations were even higher entering the season opener.
Unfortunately, Maye put together arguably the worst performance of his young NFL career.
While the big storyline is that the Patriots lost the game by a final score of 13-10, Maye has been hit with the majority of the blame. He threw three interceptions in the fourth quarter. Those three turnovers ultimately cost the Patriots the game.
Our own Eddie Marotta has taken an in-depth look at 10 things to take away from the disappointing loss.
When all was said and done and the final whistle was blown, Maye finished with 178 passing yards, a touchdown, and three interceptions, while completing 23 of his 33 pass attempts. He also chipped in with 47 yards on seven carries.
Following the loss, notable ESPN personality Stephen A. Smith offered a blunt response to Maye's performance. They were not the kindest words.
"I'm NOT sold yet. I never have been," Smith said.
There is no denying that the performance was bad. Maye would be the first to call out his own performance. However, it is way too early to turn against the young signal caller.
Last season, New England saw Maye play at at an MVP level. In just his second season, he led the Patriots to the Super Bowl, where they ultimately came up short against the Seahawks.
Despite losing in the Super Bowl, Maye produced big-time regular season numbers. He played in all 17 games, completing 72 percent of his passes for 4,394 yards, 31 touchdowns, and just eight interceptions. In addition, he picked up 450 rushing yards and scored four more touchdowns on the ground.
Being disappointed with a Week 1 loss is completely understandable. Talking about Maye like he's unproven is a completely different story.
New England knows what it has in the third-year quarterback. Maye is a budding superstar. There is no way around that fact.
Maye will look to get back on track and quiet down the negative outside noise in Week 2. The Patriots will now prepare to take on the Pittsburgh Steelers at home on September 20. Hopefully, he can play at the high level he showed all of last season and even the team's record at 1-1.
New England may have lost against Seattle, but any fan worried about the rest of the season should slow down. The Patriots are going to be just fine and the presence of Maye under center is a big reason that statement is true.
