Drake Maye got his first playoff win after the New England Patriots beat the Los Angeles Chargers 16-3 in the wild-card round. But Maye wasn’t at his best in Sunday night’s game, and he admits it. The second-year quarterback finished 17 of 29 passes for 268 yards, one touchdown, and one interception. He also rushed for 66 yards on 10 carries.
The final stats look decent, but Maye and the Patriots struggled early on. They didn’t score a touchdown until the fourth quarter and only led 6-3 at halftime. Maye also fumbled in the third quarter when the Patriots were deep in Chargers territory. After the game, Maye didn’t hide his feelings about how he played.
“Wasn’t pretty, that’s for sure,” Maye told reporters, according to ClutchPoints. “But this defense was so fun to watch. Congrats to them. They won the game for us. I didn’t throw very well tonight. Need to be better. We did what we had to do.” When asked what went wrong with his throws, Maye didn’t point to one specific thing but thanked his teammates for stepping up.
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Maye knows he needs to improve his accuracy and decision-making
“Just got to be better, whether it’s accuracy or ball placement or little things, making decisions faster,” Maye said. “Held onto the ball a little bit tonight. Finally got one in the end. I missed Hoop on a touchdown. Feel like I missed DeMario Douglas on a third down low. It wasn’t my best tonight.”
Maye added that his teammates never lost confidence in him and kept making plays. Coaches making shocking decisions about their star players can impact team chemistry, but Vrabel stuck with his quarterback.
Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel was also honest about Maye’s performance. “We got to take care of the football,” Vrabel said when asked about Maye’s play. “Thought he came through when we needed him. The tipped pass is something that was unfortunate. That turned into an interception. But the throw to Hunter Henry I thought when we needed him was elite.”
The touchdown pass Maye threw to Henry was the best moment for the Patriots’ offense. He threw a perfect pass over Chargers safety Derwin James, and Henry caught it near the goal line before running in for a 28-yard touchdown. That score put the Patriots up 16-3 and basically ended the game.
The Patriots will now play in the Divisional Round at home. They’ll face the winner of Monday’s game between the Houston Texans and Pittsburgh Steelers. Despite his struggles, Maye helped his team advance to the next round of the playoffs. Unlike situations where stars request trades after suspensions, Maye remains committed to improving with New England.
Published: Jan 12, 2026 11:45 am