Drake Maye may have given an impressive performance against the Chicago Bears, but one mistake proved too expensive for the New England Patriots. With the game on the line, the quarterback’s red-zone interception became a turning point, leaving the Patriots unable to complete their comeback. And former Patriots star Julian Edelman is not holding back as he gave a blunt reminder to the QB.
Watch What’s Trending Now!
Speaking on The Gronk & Jules Show, Julian Edelman said, “Patriots, they played a pretty good game. The difference? Turnover in the red area. I love Drake. Played a great game, but you can’t expect to go on the road.”
“I don’t care how explosive our offense is, you can’t expect to go on the road against a really good football team that knows how to run the football and throw a pick in the red area. We got to eliminate that stuff.”
The Patriots suffered a 30-24 loss to the Bears on Thursday night, which ended their three-game winning streak. However, Maye put together a productive record as he completed 24 of 31 passes for 321 yards and two touchdowns. However, his end zone interception is what proved to be a mess on an otherwise great performance.
With the Patriots trailing 13-7 in the second quarter, Maye spotted tight end Eli Raridon in the end zone, but the pass was intercepted by the Bears linebacker D’Marco Jackson. The turnover cost the Patriots an opportunity to score and allowed the Bears to regain possession.
Chicago took full advantage of the moment, scoring a touchdown to a two-score lead. The Patriots fought their way back into the game, but Chicago hung on for the victory. Bears QB Caleb Williams finished with 308 passing yards and two touchdowns.
Edelman’s comment highlighted the challenge the young QB was facing, expected to lead New England’s offense. Maye himself also realized the importance of that interception after the game.
“It definitely was a huge point in the game. It’s those plays, I talk about all the time. And those plays that can swing the game, can impact the game, and that was definitely one of them right there. I wish I definitely had that one back and a lot of plays,” Maye said in the post-game presser.
“But got to give credit to them. They had a good plan on a short week, and they got after us…So I know that was a big turning point in the game and I know I let my team down.”
New England had chances to take the lead in the second half but could not complete the comeback. The Patriots will now move forward to face the Miami Dolphins in Week 8.
If the Patriots want to get back in the game, they must eliminate costly turnovers, particularly inside the red zone. Maye has already shown that he can move the football against quality defenses.