New England Patriots - NESN.com
New England Patriots quarterback Drake Maye will step onto the field in a hostile environment on Sunday, facing the Broncos in Denver.
Denver is recognized for having one of the toughest home-field advantages in the NFL, and Maye will need to ensure he can hold onto the ball with the Broncos’ fierce pass rush coming after him. However, Maye struggled with ball security last week, and he understands what he needs to improve to move forward effectively.
“Just work hard and practice,” Maye said on Wednesday, via Patriots on CLNS. “Be mindful back there and just know that . I haven’t lost trust in those guys up front and I know that we faced some pretty good edge rushers and we got another good set of edge rushers coming up this week. Just (need to’ have a feel for the rush) and just protect the football because that’s my job.”
Maye threw an interception and fumbled the ball four times, losing two of them during the victory over the Houston Texans on Sunday.
If Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud hadn’t thrown four interceptions, the outcome of the game could have been entirely different. Maye is unlikely to recover from his turnovers this week, as Denver can win in multiple ways, whether through a strong defense or by running the ball to control the clock.
Although the Broncos will be relying on backup quarterback Jarrett Stidham, he probably won’t turn the ball over four times as Stroud did. Head coach Sean Payton is likely to have a game plan that suits him and maximizes his strengths.
