Efton Chism III went 1-for-1 for 16 yards. Drake Maye went 14-for-25 for 199. Chism's passer rating, 118.8, towered over Maye's 48.6, and a gadget throw from a return man was the most efficient pass New England completed in Sunday's loss to Jacksonville.
Maye's line is the one that travels: zero touchdowns, two interceptions, three sacks taken, a 19.9 QBR. Two fumbles, one lost. That's the third-year quarterback ESPN is now asking about by name. "Are the Patriots using Drake Maye the wrong way?"
The box score argues something less flattering. Maye averaged 8.0 yards per attempt, which is a functioning downfield passing game. He just couldn't finish anything. New England's top three backs combined for 21 carries and 63 yards at 3.0 a pop, TreVeyon Henderson at 2.9 a carry and Rhamondre Stevenson at 3.1, so no defense ever had to load the box and Maye spent the afternoon in obvious passing downs.
The target distribution is worse. Mack Hollins drew 9 targets and caught 6 for 87 yards. Everyone else was a rumor. DeMario Douglas: 5 targets, 1 catch, 38 yards. Kyle Williams: 3 and 1. Hunter Henry: 2 and 1. Chism, a returner, had 2 targets and turned one into a single yard. That's not a misuse problem, it's a separation problem, and it caps what any play-caller can do.
Special teams tell the story from the other side. Williams returned five kickoffs for 105 yards, 21.0 per, long of 31. Five kickoff returns is a scoreboard confession. Chism added an 18-yard punt return, and Corey Kiner took one kick back 28. Tommy DeVito got five pass attempts and completed three for 30 yards, which is either mop-up or an early warning depending on your disposition.
Here's the actual usage question hiding underneath the ESPN one: Maye carried four times for 18 yards, with a long of 9. If his legs are part of the plan, and they should be, four carries is the number in this box score that looks like a coaching failure. The interceptions, the strip sacks, the second-and-10 offense built by a 3.0-yard rushing average, those are on the quarterback and the roster. But a 6-foot-4 quarterback who runs a 4.5 and gets four designed touches in a game the offense couldn't move the ball is the one thing New England can fix by Monday.
Maye isn't being used wrong. He's being used timidly, and the tape says it's costing them more than any route concept.
