Patriots' Drake Maye Reveals Glaring Regret Against Commanders

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. — While many football teams would be content to rest on the laurels of a 30-point margin of victory in their preseason opener, the New England Patriots are building a culture of accountability.

Accordingly, head coach Mike Vrabel was unafraid to take starting quarterback Drake Maye to task for committing a first-quarter fumble during an otherwise dominant 48-18 victory over the Washington Commanders on Friday evening at Gillette Stadium.

“That’s a bad decision,” Vrabel told reporters from his postgame podium. “I think we’re gonna need better from him, and I think he knows that and that’s obvious.”

Maye’s penchant for extending plays led to his attempt to play through a struggle between left tackle Will Campbell and left guard Jared Wilson on twist. The Pats starter ended up committing a first-quarter fumble on 3rd and 7 at the New England 45-yard line. To his credit, Maye understood his mistake and worked quickly to quell any potential storm it may have caused.

“I just can't do that on my first time out,” Maye said after the game. “Glad we responded well that next drive, but that’s something that I can control. At the end of the day you just can't put the defense in that position when games matter … I told those guys it's on me, we got to get back out there. Glad I was able to get another series going.”

Washington Commanders defensive tackle Johnny Newton (95) tackles New England Patriots quarterback Drake Maye. — Aug 8, 2025; Foxborough, Massachusetts, USA; Washington Commanders defensive tackle Johnny Newton (95) tackles New England Patriots quarterback Drake Maye (10) during the first half at Gillette Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Paul Rutherford-Imagn Images | Paul Rutherford-Imagn Images

Maye’s next series yielded far superior results. The 22-year-old led his first scoring drive of the preseason with an eight-play, 61-yard series, which resulted in his own five-yard scoring rush. Maye also looked impressive on an 11-yard scramble on 2nd and 10 in Washington territory, while also finding Henderson for a nine-yard pass out of the backfield.

While he was justifiably criticized by his coach for the fumble, Maye’s response on the ensuing drive revealed the amount of maturity he has gained from his rookie season. Instead of attempting to erase a big mistake with a big play, Maye returned to his football basics — taking his team to the end zone in the process. As he prepares to lead his team into the regular season, the former North Carolina Tar Heel recognizes that his example will set the tone for his teammates, per the tenets set forth by Vrabel.

“I think what the guys did tonight, everybody playing, playing hard, blocking, tackling, running around for full four quarters was great,” Maye said. “I thought we kept playing. I think we're kind of starting to build something, that we're going to start to build an identity. That's what coach is talking about. I got to do my part of protecting the football.”

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