Patriots' Week 3 Blowout Was a Three-Quarterback Problem
Drake Maye's Week 3 stat line reads like a benching: 14-of-25 for 199 yards, no touchdowns, two interceptions, a 48.6 passer rating and a 19.9 QBR. He took three sacks for 11 yards, fumbled twice, and lost one.
He wasn't the only Patriot who threw a pass. Backup Tommy DeVito went 3-of-5 for 30 yards with a 9.5 QBR, and Efton Chism III, who also returned a punt 18 yards, completed his only attempt for 16. Three passers, zero touchdown passes. That's what a blowout looks like through the box score.
The run game offered no cover. TreVeyon Henderson (8 carries, 23 yards), Rhamondre Stevenson (7 for 22), Corey Kiner (6 for 18) and Maye (4 for 18) combined for 83 yards on 26 carries. That's 3.2 yards a pop against a defense that knew New England had to throw. Mack Hollins was the only reliable chain-mover: six catches, 87 yards on nine targets. Romeo Doubs added three for 49. DeMario Douglas and Kyle Williams combined for two catches on eight targets, which tells you where Maye's downfield trust actually sits.
ESPN's Bill Barnwell grouped New England with four other Week 3 losers who all made last season's playoffs. Seattle lost to a backup quarterback. Carolina couldn't overcome injuries. The Chargers and Texans both fell to 0-3, a hole that historically buries a season before October.
Maye's numbers are the loudest part of that group, but the quiet part is the offense around him. When a staff runs three different passers through a game, it has stopped treating the starter as the only answer. DeVito's 9.5 QBR says he wasn't the fix.
My read: this is structural, not a bad Sunday. A 3.2 yards-per-carry ground game and a receiver room that got two catches on eight targets outside its top two options puts the entire offense on Maye's arm. He responded with two interceptions and two fumbles. If Week 4 looks like Week 3, the conversation in Foxborough stops being about a slow start to the season.
Verdict: I'd bet on the problems outlasting the schedule. Fix the run game first, or Maye keeps throwing 25 times into coverage.
