Drake Maye and the New England Patriots square off against T.J. Watt and the Pittsburgh Steelers in Week 2.
Drake Maye and the New England Patriots face T.J. Watt and the Pittsburgh Steelers in Week 2.
Watt won the AFC Defensive Player of the Week award for Week 1 after having a monster game against the Atlanta Falcons. The future Hall of Famer recorded a 35-yard pick-six, three tackles for loss and 2.0 sacks.
While speaking to Patriots reporters on 9/16, Maye opened up about facing Watt and the Steelers' defense.
"He just wreaks havoc," Maye said. "He's the same deal as last year. He's been a great player in this league for a long time. You've got to know where he's at. He enjoys making plays on the football, and he's really good at it. They have a knack up front of getting hands on balls, and the one he made last week, you don't see that very often in this league – it's really special. I can't even describe it more than that. So, we've got to have all hands on deck, especially with a lot of their front. They've got some great players, and they've been in that defense and been together for a while, so they know how to play off each other and count each other's strengths."
Watt became the first Steelers player to record two sacks and an interception returned for a touchdown in a regular-season game since linebacker LaMarr Woodley did so in 2010.
Watt is also the only AFC player to record two sacks and an interception returned for a touchdown in a regular-season game since Kyle Van Noy in 2021.
The brother of J.J. Watt, T.J. joined Julius Peppers as the only players with 100 sacks and 10 interceptions since sacks became an official stat in 1982.
Not only does Maye have to deal with T.J. in Week 2, but he also has to worry about Cam Hayward.
"Yeah, I think it's hard to look at when they're jumping and when they're trying to get hands up," Maye said. "Cam Hayward had one last year that got tipped in the end zone and got picked. So, they have a special feeling for it, and they've done a lot in their careers of making plays, pass rush, and pass breakups. So, it can't be something I'm really thinking about. They're going to try to get their hands up. I think just finding good passing lanes and moving around the pocket in some different ways. But really, I think it's easy to say quick game, but at the same time, they know they're going to get their hands up fast. So, it's just being cognizant of it, whether it's technique or little things to get the hands down."
Maye is under pressure to play well in Week 2 since he was awful in Week 1.
The UNC product finished with 178 passing yards, one passing touchdown and three interceptions against the Seattle Seahawks.
"You always have got to be hardest on yourself," Maye said. "I think that's the way I grew up in my family. I always felt like being the hardest on yourself, you can always get back to having confidence and that, and that kind of battling that line of being hard on yourself but also having confidence in yourself."
