ESPN NFL Analyst Says Patriots, Drake Maye ‘Get A Week 1 Pass’
ESPN NFL analyst Ben Solak wrote on Tuesday that the New England Patriots “get a Week 1 pass” following their season-opening home loss against the Las Vegas Raiders.
The Patriots disappointed in Week 1 and plunged to 28th in The Athletic’s Week 2 NFL Power Rankings, ahead of Sunday’s game vs. the Miami Dolphins.
Solak said that New England fans shouldn’t overreact, however, and that he expects second–year quarterback Drake Maye to be fine after an uneven season debut.
“This was one of Maye’s worst games as a pro. He started pushing in the second half against Las Vegas, which led to poor decisions and accuracy sprays. I will say that there were a few disagreements between Maye and his receivers on route depth and breaks, which was an annoying feature of last season’s offense that I believed would get cleaned up with the new coaching staff,” he wrote. “The Pats get a Week 1 pass — a lot of teams were sloppy in Week 1, as is always the case — but this is precisely the sort of thing Mike Vrabel was hired to clean up. The only two pass catchers that Maye has any chemistry with right now are Kayshon Boutte and Hunter Henry. I’m fascinated to see what rookie Kyle Williams looks like when he gets on the field more often.”
Solak pointed to the Patriots’ Week 1 win over the Cincinnati Bengals last season as proof why fans shouldn’t jump to conclusions. New England upset the Bengals to open the 2024 campaign but then lost six in a row and finished the year 4-13.
The writer said that despite Maye’s tough Week 1 vs. Las Vegas, he’s got plenty of time to turn things around.
“This was a bad Maye game, but in four weeks, it’ll feel like a meaningless Maye game. So yes, Maye will be OK,” Solak wrote.
The 2024 Pro Bowl signal-caller could be facing a short-handed Dolphins defense, as head coach Mike McDaniel gave a lengthy injury report on Monday.
Among the defenders who Miami could be without in Week 2 are cornerback Storm Duck (ankle), right tackle Austin Jackson (toe) and defensive tackle Benito Jones (oblique).