Drake Maye, Patriots Offense Criticized by NFL Fans in Loss to Aaron Rodgers, Steelers

Drake Maye and the New England Patriots fell to Aaron Rodgers and the Pittsburgh Steelers, 21-14, on Saturday at home after a turnover-filled offensive performance.

Maye struggled throughout the night, completing 28-of-37 passes for 268 yards with two touchdowns, one interception and a lost fumble, while taking five sacks. Both of Maye’s touchdown passes went to tight end Hunter Henry, who finished with eight catches for 90 yards.

Turnovers proved costly, as three different Patriots coughed up the ball in the loss. Maye turned it over twice, Rhamondre Stevenson lost two fumbles and Antonio Gibson added another in what was a sloppy outing for New England, which dropped to 1-2 on the season.

The Steelers, meanwhile, improved to 2-1 behind Rodgers, who had an uneven performance but did enough to secure the win. Rodgers completed 16-of-23 passes for 139 yards with two touchdowns and an interception, connecting with DK Metcalf and Calvin Austin III for the scores.

Maye and the offense were called out by NFL fans after struggling to protect the football, committing five turnovers in a shaky performance.

New England opened the game with a fumble, followed by an interception in the second quarter. Despite the early miscues, the Patriots trailed just 14-7 at halftime.

Things didn’t improve after the break. The Patriots fumbled on both of their third-quarter possessions, but the defense held strong, somehow keeping the Steelers off the scoreboard.

New England tied the game at 14 early in the fourth quarter, but the turnover woes continued. With 7:41 left, quarterback Maye scrambled on a broken play, only to be sacked and stripped for the team’s fifth turnover of the night.

This time, the Patriots were not so lucky, the Steelers charged down the field and Rodgers connected with Calvin Austin III for a touchdown to a 21-14 advantage with just over two minutes remaining. 

The Steelers came up big with a fourth-and-one stop to seal the win — a play on which DeMario Douglas initially had a chance but ran backward, losing ground — as the turnovers ultimately proved too costly for New England.

The Patriots will face the Carolina Panthers at home next Sunday. 

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