You almost never see an NFL QB lose the football in a clean pocket without a single defender anywhere near putting hands on him. But early in Jacksonville, New England Patriots QB Drake Maye cranked his arm to launch a deep pass, only for the ball to slip backward right out of his hand completely untouched. This allowed the Jacksonville Jaguars defensive tackle DaVon Hamilton to pounce on the loose ball. It was the perfect representation of how the Patriots’ afternoon had been during their 35-6 blowout loss to the Jaguars.
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The giveaway looked so bizarre in real time that the fans initially questioned what exactly must have caused it. Maye revealed postgame that center Jared Wilson’s hand was bleeding over the leather. This sparked a media debate over whether the Year 3 QB was giving an objective explanation or just giving excuses. Now on WEEI’s The Greg Hill Show, head coach Mike Vrabel has given his two cents on the situation, explaining that there’s no room for excuses.
“Well, I think accountability has to come with your teammates and your actions and how you play, work, and how you prepare,” Mike Vrabel expressed on WEEI’s The Greg Hill Show. “So, I can’t speak on what his shoulder feels like. That’s nothing that I have ever heard anything about. If the center’s hands are bleeding, then we’re going to have to find way- what I mean, there’s going to be some things on the football at times. So, but those are facts. Those are explanations. We can hear explanations, we can’t allow for excuses.”
The incident happened in the first quarter when Drake Maye cranked his arm to target Kyle Williams. Maye clarified the sequence postgame, stating:
“The first one, Jared [Wilson] happened to be bleeding on his hand, and got the football, and (I) was trying to put one to Kyle [Williams]. Slipped out of my hand.” He, however, did add that, “but at the same time, I gotta hold on to the football.”
That was just one of his 3 turnovers on the night. His disappointing performance has led to him leading the league in terms of Interceptions and Turnovers as a starting QB after 3 games. All the while, he has only been able to throw a single touchdown pass in the 2026 NFL season.
Patriots center Jared Wilson confirmed the injury in his locker room interview post-game, explaining that centers who play without gloves routinely suffer cuts.
“I just got cut up. I have no idea when it happened,” Wilson said. “Drake was like, ‘Jared, blood.’ I was like, ‘Oh, I got you, I’ll fix it.’ That’s pretty much how it goes.”
Drake Maye, however, didn’t shy away from accountability, contrary to what one may think. He labelled New England’s offense through week 3 as “unacceptable” and vowed to look in the mirror and take responsibility for their 1-2 record.
The Patriots HC remained firm on Drake Maye being his QB and defended his QB on the WEEI show.
“It’s about just getting back and working. Being around people you care about, having a small circle. Focus on the people that truly matter and trying to get back to work. I don’t know. Drake’s our quarterback, man; we’ve got to get this thing right, by all of us,” Mike Vrabel stated.
However, an anonymous NFL coach told The Athletic that Drake Maye has displayed “erratic judgment” recently and has “nervous happy feet”. The pressure continues to build as the Patriots face the undefeated Buffalo Bills up next.