Most Important Patriots Postgame Quotes From Week 3 — And What They Mean Moving Forward

The New England Patriots are 1-2 to open up their AFC title defense, and it hasn't looked very pretty.

Traveling down to Jacksonville this weekend, the team looked flat in all three phases as they lost 35-6 to the Jaguars. An offense that really fired on all cylinders a year ago hasn't looked very good at all. It's starting to get concerning, and something will need to change soon.

"I think we have to do it better. And, again, we all want to make plays," Vrabel said postgame. "We just have to make them good ones. I mean, if it's not there, we gotta make a great decision, and I think sometimes you can want it too badly and we can't force anything."

Here are some of the biggest quotes from that afternoon, and what they might mean moving forward into Week 4.

Nothing Was Working vs. Jags

Sep 27, 2026; Jacksonville, Florida, USA; Jacksonville Jaguars defensive tackle Davon Hamilton (52) sacks New England Patriots quarterback Drake Maye (10) during the third quarter at EverBank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Morgan Tencza-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Through three games, the Patriots have only scored two offensive touchdowns. In that same time, they've turned the ball over seven times — including three of them against the Jaguars. The Patriots will need to have a complete 180 soon, and based on how the head coach and players spoke postgame, they're well aware of that notion.

Mike Vrabel on his concern level with Drake Maye, Patriots: "My concern level is very high for this football team. I just want to coach and improve. So, I think that's the biggest thing is when you come off a game like that, that you just want to get back and work. There's nothing you can do about it, but we have to take care of the football. And I mean, we can't force things. We can't do things in all three phases that end up getting you beat. So certainly, we have to fix a lot of things."

Drake Maye on if his shoulder feels better compared to last season: "Yeah. I wouldn't say there's a problem with my shoulder. I think there's times where I think you look back and you look back on the playoff run and that Denver game and when I took the hit to now. I felt good during training camp and continue to let it loose."

Christian Gonzalez on his quarterback's slow start to 2026: "With Drake we're behind him. That's our quarterback.. ... That's our guy and that isn't changing."

Jared Wilson on Maye fumbling a bloodied football: "I just got cut up. I have no idea when it happened. Drake was like, 'Jared, blood.' I was like, 'Oh, I got you, I'll fix it.' That's pretty much how it goes."

Marcus Jones on losing to Jacksonville: "At the end of the day, you know, we're gonna get it corrected. It's a week-to-week league when it comes down to it, we didn't get the job done, so we'll get back into the lab and do what we need to do."

Can Things Be Fixed Next Week?

Sep 27, 2026; Jacksonville, Florida, USA; Jacksonville Jaguars wide receiver Parker Washington (11) runs for a gain past New England Patriots safety Kevin Byard III (31) during the first quarter at EverBank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Melina Myers-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The Patriots haven't looked good through three games, and now they'll head to Western New York for a date with the 3-0 Buffalo Bills. Something will need to change before then, and if Maye's play continues to be down in the dumps, it won't be good on Sunday.

But it's clear that the Patriots are well aware that something needs to change. Whether it's the passing game, the running game, the offensive line or the red zone defense (a unit that allowed five touchdowns to Jacksonville), Week 4 should be a different looking team on the field.

That's just talk right now. Maye knows he isn't playing up to his standards. Vrabel knows that problems are rampant right now. The players can speak about how they didn't look good and will need to play better against a division rival. They'll have to prove it though.

The issues on this team are fixable. A lot of these struggles are mental mistakes from their quarterbacks. It doesn't appear that Maye's shoulder is the reason for his poor throws, but it's something to monitor in practice this week.

If the Patriots fall to 1-3, there's going to be a lot of questions directed at this team. It's not like this team is running from the challenge. We'll see if anything gets adjusted.

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