After the Patriots pulled out a win in Week 2 over the Steelers, despite another uninspiring performance from Drake Maye, Mike Vrabel avoided answering questions about his quarterback.
asserted
Vrabel → pull → quarterback
Vrabel joked with a reporter not to “ruin my Sunday” when asked about Maye.
asserted
Vrabel → joke → Maye
On Sunday, Maye was largely responsible for ruining Vrabel’s afternoon in the Patriots’ 35-6 loss to Jacksonville, which felt like rock bottom (the Pats hope).
asserted
which → ruin → bottom
Simply put, Maye was atrocious.
asserted
Maye → put → ?
The 2025 MVP runner-up was 14-of-25 for 199 yards, no touchdowns, two interceptions, three sacks, and a lost fumble.
asserted
up → lose → yards
A particularly grievous error came on a third and goal with under a minute remaining in the first half.
asserted
minute → come → half
New England were only down 14-3 and well-positioned to shift the game’s momentum.
asserted
England → position → momentum
Then Maye threw the ball right to Jacksonville corner Travis Hunter in the end zone.
asserted
Maye → throw → zone
It’s hard to comprehend what Maye was seeing or not seeing on that play.
asserted
Maye → ’ → play
Given the ball placement and defensive reads, some social-media jokesters questioned whether he could even make out Jacksonville’s teal uniforms.
uncertain
he → give → uniforms
Had this game been an outlier, Patriots fans could take a deep breath.
uncertain
fans → take → breath
But Week 3’s performance was merely a new low for Maye, who has been shaky since the 2025 playoffs began.
asserted
playoffs → begin → Maye
The 2025 regular season Maye who delighted fans with just eight interceptions in 17 games already has six interceptions in three weeks this campaign.
asserted
who → delight → weeks
During New England’s four-game playoff run last season, Maye had six touchdowns, but he also threw four interceptions and fumbled seven times.
asserted
he → have → interceptions
He also took 21 sacks.
asserted
He → take → sacks
The usually stout unit allowed Trevor Lawrence three passing touchdowns and failed to capitalize on Jacksonville’s penalties.
asserted
unit → allow → penalties
The defense can troubleshoot with scheme changes, such as going back to the man coverage they veered away from Sunday.
asserted
they → troubleshoot → coverage
They’ll also benefit from getting key players back from injury, such as stud edge-rusher Dre’Mont Jones and starting safety Craig Woodson.
asserted
They → benefit → Jones
At this point, it’s hard to see any positives for Maye.
asserted
it → ’ → Maye
He has all the yips and none of the confidence.
asserted
He → have → confidence
He looks tentative and lost, so unlike the gutsy parser of defenses who led the league last season in completion percentage.
asserted
who → look → percentage
It no longer seems unfair to attribute some of New England’s success last season to their schedule.
asserted
It → seem → schedule
In 2025, New England had what turned out to be the easiest schedule; this year, they have one of the six hardest.
asserted
they → have → six
Maye’s best performances last year came against the dubious talents of the Jets, Saints, Titans, Panthers, and Dolphins.
asserted
performances → come → Jets
Losing Stefon Diggs and Kayshon Boutte, as well as AJ Brown’s injury, has been a gut-punch to Maye and the Pats’ offense.
asserted
Losing → lose → Maye
New England decided to move on from Diggs and Boutte despite Maye’s successful connection with them.
asserted
England → decide → them
Brown was supposed to make up for their loss, but with his injury Maye has had to make do with Romeo Doubs and Mack Hollins, not exactly upgrades.
asserted
Maye → suppose → Doubs
It’s way too early to say that Maye’s 2025 season was a flash in the pan.
asserted
season → ’ → pan
Even elite quarterbacks have a few bad weeks now and again.
asserted
quarterbacks → have → weeks
But those three have a track record of dominating over many years and putting in legendary performances against the toughest opponents in grueling situations.
asserted
three → have → situations
Perhaps offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels will change his schemes with rebuilding Maye’s confidence in mind.
asserted
McDaniels → change → mind
Something must change.
asserted
Something → change → ?
This season is not lost but what we’ve seen so far is unacceptable.
asserted
seen → lose → what
As we had all predicted, it would be the Mariota-led 0-2 Commanders who would deal the reigning Super Bowl champion Seahawks their first loss since last November.
asserted
who → predict → November
Mariota sealed the 33-31 win with a scramble and slide, but it was his three touchdown passes that catapulted Washington to the upset.
asserted
that → seal → upset
His final stat line may not have been that impressive – he was 19 of 31 for 183 yards – but Mariota helped take down a team who have shut down plenty of quarterbacks in the last 12 months.
uncertain
who → help → months
That’s the number of regular-season wins for Aaron Rodgers and Mike McCarthy together.
asserted
That → ’ → Rodgers
When McCarthy and Rodgers spent their first season together in 2006 with the Green Bay Packers, the chances of them both being in the league and reuniting as coach and quarterback on a different team 20 years later were slim.
asserted
them → spend → team
Rodgers and McCarthy turned back the clock in Pittsburgh’s 30-27 shootout win over the Bengals on Sunday.
asserted
Rodgers → turn → Sunday
The 42-year-old quarterback looked, dare we say, spry throwing three touchdowns to three different receivers.
asserted
we → look → receivers
…and 22 more, not listed.
The Aporia
