CHICAGO — The New England Patriots didn't win on Thursday Night Football, and yet, their quarterback had yet another great performance.
Drake Maye threw for 300 yards for the second time in three weeks, scored 3+ total touchdowns for the fourth-straight game and used his legs to extend plenty of plays behind a banged-up offensive line.
Did he throw a bad interception in the first half that took points off the board? Yes.
Was that play the biggest reason for the Patriots' 30-24 loss to the Chicago Bears? Nope.
Maye's INT Wasn't The Losing Play
Maye was hard on himself after the game, taking the brunt of the blame for the bad interception he threw to Bears linebacker D'Marco Jackson. He was trying to hit Eli Raridon for a touchdown to cut into Chicago's 13-7 lead. Instead, he didn't put enough air on the throw and it was turned over.
“It definitely was a huge point in the game. It’s those plays, I talk about all the time," Maye said. "And those plays that 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 and a lot of plays.
"But got to give credit to them. They had a good plan on a short week and they got after us. ... I know that was a big turning point in the game and I know I let my team down."
But the Patriots had a bigger reason for the loss, and it was from the other side of the ball. The Patriots really couldn't tackle all night, and according to Pro Football Focus, they missed 16 tackles. That's the most they've had in a single game since Super Bowl LX. Marcus Jones led the Patriots with five.
Chicago controlled the ground game with D'Andre Swift (22 carries, 78 yards, 1 rushing touchdown) and beat the Patriots' zone coverages all night.
“The tackling wasn’t good enough, not against this team," head coach Mike Vrabel said. "We knew coming in, certainly against this team, whether it’s Swift, (Luther) Burden, the quarterback. It just leads to extra yards and conversions. But, we fought. I would say that we need to turn the ball over and tackle better and those are fundamental skills."
The Patriots Defense Struggled All Night
Caleb Williams hit eight passes for 20+ yards, really stressing the secondary that was down three cornerbacks coming into the game.
Ultimately, the Patriots lost the game, not because of Maye's play, but because of everything around it. There wasn't a lot of production from the ground game or the wide receivers, penalties ran rampant and the defense struggled to bring anyone down.
And yet, Maye kept them in it. He shouldn't be the one receiving the pointed finger.
"He gave us a chance. He competed and I know he’d like to have that throw back to Eli but, I thought he really competed," Vrabel said. "Whether that was running around and scrambling or finding good places to go with the football. He gave us a chance. I know he’d like to have that one back and he’ll learn from it like he always does. I’m glad he’s ours."
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