FOXBORO — The Patriots are 3-10 in an obvious rebuilding year and might have to settle for moral victories for the rest of the season.
The Patriots lost once again on Sunday, but there were plenty of positives to take away from their offensive performance, when rookie Drake Maye had one of his most efficient games of the season, going 24-of-30 for 238 yards with a touchdown and interception while scrambling five times for 59 yards.
Overall, the Patriots ran the ball 31 times for 200 yards with a touchdown.
“I think we’re dynamic. I think we can hurt them in the pass game and the run game,” Maye said of his offense. “We can do different things. We have play-action. We have boot. We have running the football. We have throwing it down the field. We have guys making plays, run after catch. There’s another layer to it of making more explosive plays, but we saw that a lot from our run after catch today.”
Of course, things weren’t perfect. The Patriots were just 2-of-6 in the red zone and had to settle for three field goal attempts. Another trip to the red zone ended on an interception from Maye to tight end Hunter Henry.
The ball bounced off Henry’s hands and his body before being picked off by Colts safety Julian Blackmon.
“Just tried to get to him quick, and hopefully he gets in. I think I put it on the wrong shoulder,” Maye said. “I think if I put it on the opposite shoulder away from the defender, and I think that’s maybe a completion there. Just unfortunate it got tipped up. Just a bummer.”
The Patriots made it into the red zone late in the first quarter, but consecutive holding penalties from offensive linemen Mike Onwenu and Layden Robinson moved the ball out to the Colts’ 22-yard line. The Patriots had to settle for a field goal. The Patriots had two other accepted holding penalties on offensive linemen and a fifth holding penalty that was declined.