Drake Maye’s Week 2 performance against the Steelers was a significant improvement compared to the regular-season opener against the Seahawks. However, he has still managed to worry fans and pundits around the league.
Offensively, Maye threw for over 200 yards against the Steelers’ defense. He played without wide receiver A.J. Brown, who will miss a few weeks with an ankle sprain. As a result, Maye threw to nine different receivers.
Maye also made some mistakes. Patrick Queen intercepted Maye in the third. He threw three interceptions against Seattle. After throwing eight interceptions last year, Maye has four this year.
Given his recent efforts, For The Win’s Christian D’Andrea has Maye ranked second as one of the “grossest” quarterbacks of Week 2.
That ranking was based on expected points added, which measures a QB’s ability to swing a game’s outcome in their favor. Last year, Maye averaged 8.9 EPA/game. His Week 2 EPA was -4.8.
D’Andrea stated that Maye, who looked great under pressure last year, has looked “rattled” this season. Various injuries to the team over the last two games, from Brown to Mike Onwenu, could have played a role.
Last season, Maye had two interceptions in the first three games with five touchdowns. This season, he’s only had one TD. Maye aims for a change in luck in Week 3 against the Jaguars. If not, he may earn the top spot on For the Win’s next list.
More Patriots