What's Wrong With Drake Maye? Patriots Quarterback's Shaky Three-Game Start Sparks Fresh Injury Questions

Drake Maye has turned the ball over seven times in three games, and Sunday's 35-6 loss at Jacksonville made the pattern hard to ignore. Three of those giveaways came against the Jaguars. Now people are asking whether the Patriots quarterback's throwing shoulder is still hurting him. He injured it in January's AFC Championship Game. Coach Mike Vrabel says he does not see it becoming an issue. Maye has not given a clear answer either. That leaves a shaky start and plenty of guesswork. New England returns to full practice Wednesday before facing the 3-0 Bills.

What is wrong with Drake Maye this season?

The numbers tell most of the story. Maye has one touchdown and six interceptions through three games. He is completing 63.8% of his passes for 585 yards. At the same point last year, he had five touchdowns, two picks and 785 yards. Last year's version went on to throw 31 touchdowns against eight interceptions and reach the Super Bowl.

Sports Illustrated's Andy Nesbitt put the swing plainly. "Last year, Maye couldn't do anything wrong. This year, he can't do anything right," he wrote Monday. Nesbitt also said the Patriots "should be very concerned" about their quarterback.

Nobody can prove the shoulder explains it. Bad reads and forced throws can have plenty of causes. Still, a drop this steep in a 24-year-old third-year starter sends people hunting for a physical cause. Vrabel has not listed Maye on an injury report this season, and no treatment has been discussed publicly.

Is Drake Maye's shoulder still a problem?

The worry has roots. Maye landed hard on his right shoulder while scrambling against Denver in the AFC Championship Game. He then needed a pain-relieving injection to play in Super Bowl LX, according to the Associated Press. He never had surgery, and no structural diagnosis became public. NBC Sports Boston's Phil Perry reported the problem actually began before the Denver hit.

Asked Monday if he knew of any lingering issue, Vrabel said he did not. He added, "I don't anticipate that being any issue going forward." He never flatly said the shoulder is fine.

Maye's answers did not close the door either. On WEEI, he was asked three times whether his arm feels the same as it did before the injury. He kept steering toward execution. "I don't think that has anything to do with executing and playing better football," he said. He promised only that he plays "100%" whenever he is in uniform, and he described ordinary postgame soreness. After Sunday's loss, he said, "I wouldn't say there's a problem with my shoulder," adding that he still thinks back to the Denver hit.

One plain yes or no would settle it. Maye has not given that yet, so the speculation stays alive. The Bills, unbeaten at 3-0, will not wait for him to sort it out.