Standing at the postgame podium, Drake Maye shook his head and looked down at ground. He let out an audible sigh of frustration.
The Patriots quarterback was replaying his second-quarter interception that helped swing Thursday night’s loss to the Chicago Bears.
“Huge point in the game. Gosh,” Maye said after the game. “Those plays can swing the game, can impact the game, and that was definitely one of them right there. I wish I definitely had that one back.”
After a slow offensive start Thursday night while dealing with Chicago’s pressure packages, New England’s offense found its footing with a pair of strong drives to open the second quarter. Maye finished the first with a rushing touchdown, then led the Patriots back into the red zone with a chance to take the lead.
Instead, his pass up the seam to rookie tight end Eli Raridon sailed short and was intercepted.
“We hit the same thing, the same exact play later in the game,” Maye said, recalling his 30-yard touchdown pass to Raridon in third quarter quarter. “I like my chances in there. It’s frustrating … I let my team down.”
The interception cost the Patriots a chance to add seven points, a missed opportunity that loomed large in their 30-24 to the Bears.
Trailing 27-21 in the fourth quarter, New England had two possessions to take the lead but managed just one first down between them. The Bears then drained more than 11 minutes of clock across their following two possessions.
Those missed opportunities weighed on Maye as much as the interception.
“That’s probably what I’ll be thinking about most over the weekend, having two chances with the ball down 27-21,” Maye said. “We got a good chance to go score and trust our defense … We just fell short tonight.”
Despite the costly turnover, Maye kept New England within striking distance against Caleb Williams and Chicago’s high-powered offense. With little help from the running game, he completed a season-high 77.4% of his passes and was nearly perfect against pressure, completing 11 of 12 attempts for 151 yards and a touchdown.
“He gave us a chance. He competed,” head coach Mike Vrabel said. “I know he’d like to have that one back. He’ll learn from it like he always does. I’m glad he’s ours.”