"Need better from him”: Drake Maye’s fumble in New England Patriots’ preseason opener draws sharp response from coach Mike Vrabel

The New England Patriots kicked off their preseason with a Friday night matchup against the Washington Commanders, and rookie quarterback Drake Maye got his first taste of NFL game speed.

It came with a rather harsh reminder: sometimes trying to do too much can hurt more than help. Maye attempted to salvage a broken play by forcing a throw while going down under pressure. Instead of taking the sack or tossing the ball away safely, he held on too long and lost control – fumbling the ball as he hit the turf. However, as luck would have it, the Patriots managed to avoid giving up points on the ensuing drive thanks to a missed 49-yard field goal attempt.

New England Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel reacts to quarterback Drake Maye's fumble

Maye’s misstep became a talking point in the postgame press conference, where Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel was very clear about what went wrong – and what needs to change henceforth. Following the game, a reporter asked Vrabel about Maye’s fumble. “Are you asking and answering a question at the same time?” Vrabel said. “Is that what you're doing?” Once the reporter clarified, Vrabel didn’t sugarcoat his thoughts.

“I would say you about summed it up,” Vrabel said, adding, “That's a bad decision. I think we're going to need better from him. And I think he knows that. That's obvious. It wasn't there. We just have to be able to find a way to get rid of the football or take a sack and punt and play defense. But to the defense's credit, they forced a field goal I think that was missed maybe.

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Luckily for New England Patriots, the defense bailed out the offense this time

After the fumble, Washington took over with good field position and had a chance to turn the turnover into points.

But the Patriots' defense held firm. Kicker Matt Gay’s 49-yard attempt sailed wide left, keeping the scoreboard unchanged. In regular season games, those kinds of mistakes often lead to easy points for opponents, and it's not a sustainable way to win football games.

Rookie mistakes are expected – but repeated ones could derail the season

There’s no panic button being pressed in Foxborough just yet. Preseason games are all about learning and evaluating, especially for rookie quarterbacks like Maye.

But the play drew comparisons to past mishaps from other AFC East teams – ones that happened in high-stakes situations. That’s where the concern lies.

The New England Patriots are counting on Drake Maye to lead their next chapter

The Patriots are trying to rebuild their identity post-Brady, post-Belichick, and are hoping Maye can eventually grow into the franchise leader they’ve been searching for since the end of the dynasty years. But growth requires discipline, especially in a division where small mistakes can swing entire games.Also read: Jason Kelce fuels speculation on Taylor Swift collaboration after revealing Christmas album journeyIf Maye continues to try and force plays that aren’t there, the Patriots may find themselves right back where they’ve been the past few seasons.