limiting negative – After an unexpected Super Bowl run that ended with Maye finishing runner-up in 2025 MVP voting, Drake Maye and Josh McDaniels are putting the spotlight on one issue: reducing negative plays that put the offense behind the chains. With Maye having thrown eight
FOXBOROUGH — Drake Maye didn’t spend the Wednesday minicamp practice talking about what went right last year.
He talked about what cost them.
“The best thing that we kind of have been trying to focus on is limiting negative plays. ” the Patriots quarterback said after practice. “Negative plays in this league put you behind the chains. whether it’s in the red zone. in base downs. and just trying to stay ahead of chains. and knowing that it was really on me to put us in good plays. get us out of bad plays. and stay ahead of chains.”.
For New England, the promise of 2025 came fast. Maye played the part of a legitimate MVP contender during a season that ended with the Patriots’ unexpected run to Super Bowl LX. Yet even with a strong finish — Maye capped the regular season with 31 touchdowns and 4. 393 passing yards while completing 72 percent of his throws — there were critical miscues the team couldn’t afford to keep repeating.
Maye’s own numbers show the tension behind the optimism. During regular-season action in 2025, he was knocked for eight interceptions and eight fumbles. In the playoffs. his production surged in one sense — he threw six touchdowns across four postseason matchups — but the mistakes followed him. Maye also threw four interceptions and had seven fumbles in those four games.
On Wednesday, the emphasis stayed fixed on that same idea: fewer self-inflicted setbacks.
McDaniels, asked about what the Patriots’ offense needs to do to build off last year’s promise, pointed to the same danger Maye described.
“Nothing worse for an offense than negative plays,” McDaniels said. “They put you in bad situations, and we saw that last year. When that happened to us, it’s hard to overcome those things. I don’t care who you are. We’re trying to do what we can at each position. not just at quarterback. but certainly he has a say in all of those.”.
He also tied the focus to Maye’s development.
“And so I think his comfort level, I think his maturity and understanding of how bad those things are for the offense, I think that’s taken a huge step forward. He understands it, he gets it, and so through that, hopefully we’ll be much improved in that area when we get to the regular season.”
The playoffs offered a harsh reminder of what those negative plays can look like from up close. Part of the postseason dip came when New England’s offensive line took on water. Maye was sacked 21 times over the four-game stretch.
Still, Maye framed the problem as one he could control more directly.
When asked about building a rapport with McDaniels, Maye pointed to how different this offseason feels. In his first two NFL years, he had a different head coach and offensive coordinator each season. This time, the quarterback said, stability has changed the tempo of everything.
“I think it’s just naturally night and day from last year this time,” Maye acknowledged. “I was trying to get things right. trying to get guys knowing where I was making calls and getting guys lined up. Now we’re just taking the next steps. That’s the best thing about this time. You get to work on those things and also work on executing. That’s the best thing Coach McDaniels does, pushing me hard.”.
He described a coaching style built around explanation rather than guesswork.
“He’s challenging me. and just trying to get comfortable here in OTAs. and getting comfortable with just doing things. being out here and just making throws. There’s a reason and there’s a why to it. That’s the best thing about Coach McDaniels. He’s so good about explaining why and helping me get to know that why, so I can play faster.”.
For Maye. and for the offense trying to move forward from a Super Bowl run that came with uncomfortable lessons. the target is clear: stay ahead of the chains. keep the ball from turning into a liability. and make the plays that build momentum instead of the ones that force the team to climb out of trouble.
Drake Maye New England Patriots Josh McDaniels minicamp 2026 season negative plays turnovers interceptions fumbles Super Bowl LX OTAs
So like… less interceptions? got it.
Every year it’s “cut negative plays” like that’s a button you press. Maybe they should just… not turn it over? Also why is McDaniels still talking like this is a new problem.
Wait he was runner-up in MVP voting and still had that many INTs and fumbles? Sounds like stat padding to me. Like the team got lucky to even make the Super Bowl, then they pretend it’s all about “being ahead of the chains.”
Honestly this is the whole Patriots thing, right? Say they’ll fix it, then somehow it’s always “on me” and the same mistakes. I didn’t even know Maye threw that many fumbles like wth. Also I swear red zone playcalling is cursed—every time they get close it’s like they forget how to run offense.