The Patriots and Colts held a competitive joint practice on the fields behind Gillette Stadium that was a good day’s work for two AFC playoff contenders.
After completing several downfield passes that were vintage Drake Maye, the Colts defense got the last laugh by intercepting Maye in the final two-minute period in the end zone. The end of practice will serve as a coaching moment for Mike Vrabel and Josh McDaniels with their young quarterback, with Maye taking ownership of the mistake while speaking to reporters following Tuesday’s two-plus-hour joint session with Indianapolis.
However, the positive takeaway was that Maye hit on several deep completions to multiple receivers in an explosive day for the passing offense. Maye beat a pressure scheme with a pretty go-ball to WR Romeo Doubs down the left sideline. He hit his two tight ends, Hunter Henry and Eli Raridon, for chunk plays off play-action passes. And star WR A.J. Brown had a big-gainer on a deep pass into the cover-two hole.
Maye also had a red-zone sequence where he threw three touchdowns in four plays to Doubs (out), WR Kayshon Boutte (slant), and beat a blitz by lofting a perfectly weighted ball off his back foot to RB Rhamondre Stevenson, who ran past a Colts linebacker from out of the backfield. At that point, Tuesday’s headline for Maye would’ve read that the third-year quarterback was in complete control vs. the Colts, but it was the interception in the final two-minute drill that was top of mind for Maye at the podium after practice.