The New England Patriots are a far less talented team, though they didn’t help themselves with four turnovers in Sunday’s 41-21 loss to the Houston Texans.
Drake Maye accounted for three of those with a pair of interceptions and a strip-sack at the hands of talented Houston pass-rusher Danielle Hunter. The Texans scored 17 points off turnovers. That’s not to suggest that was the only difference in a lop-sided affair, but the Patriots have adjustments to make to secure the ball.
“Yeah, I think we just hurt ourselves today,” Maye told reporters, per a team-provided transcript. “I think we put the defense in bad spots, and with how good our defense is, that’s the last thing we can do. We can’t — when the ball is in the red zone, giving the other team the ball in the red zone just makes it hard on them. It starts with me, and I wish I could have some throws back, and especially the first interception.”
The Patriots entered the game with a plus-two turnover margin for the season, good for 10th in the NFL. That will take a hit after a minus-three margin on Sunday, marking an ongoing priority moving forward.
“Just kept hurting ourselves, and in this league, these teams are too good to do that,” Maye added.
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Maye looks to improve ball security in Week 7 as the Patriots head international to battle the also-struggling Jacksonville Jaguars in London.
Featured image via Gregory Fisher/Imagn Images