The Patriots are preparing for Sunday's matchup vs. the Dolphins in Miami, a big AFC East battle where both teams are searching for their first wins of the season.
After an opening week loss, QB Drake Maye and offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels are looking for better results this week. In Week 1, the Patriots only scored 13 points in a 20-13 loss to the Raiders, while only producing three points after taking a 10-7 lead into halftime. The good news for the Patriots was that the pass protection and receivers mostly did their jobs. Third-year WR Kayshon Boutte recorded his second career 100-yard game, rookie LT Will Campbell acclimated well, and free-agent addition Morgan Moses held his own in a tough matchup against Pro Bowl pass-rusher Maxx Crosby.
However, the offense was inconsistent due to missed opportunities and the lack of a running game, two areas of improvement that Maye and McDaniels spoke about this week. To Maye, running the football is critical for the offense's success, with the quarterback having a hand in the run game as a potential ball carrier and directing the blockers with pre-snap communication. After struggling to run the ball in the first half, the Patriots went away from the run game in the second half, leading to a career high 53 drop-backs for their young quarterback. On Wednesday, Maye spoke about the need for the run game. Along with moving the ball on the ground, running the football effectively will allow McDaniels to sequence play-action off run actions to scheme open receivers.
"We're trying to establish the run. So, from that point, you win games running the football and stopping the run, so trying to set that up," Maye said. "Those guys that were catching the football and blocking up front, I thought they played their butts off, and I think they deserve a lot of credit. I've got to do my part."
Part of the reason the Patriots run game struggled was that the Raiders used unpredictable schemes, such as run stunts or blitzes, which prevented the Pats blockers from reaching the second level of the defense. On Thursday, McDaniels spoke about learning from the wrinkles the offense saw last week against Vegas.
"They did some things that pinched us off from getting up to the second level and the linebackers. I'm excited and eager to use those experiences to improve," McDaniels said. "It's really difficult to simulate movement sometimes in the running game without being in pads in a game against another opponent that does it differently than the team you practice against all the time. I think that is time on task, and it's a great opportunity for us to see that in a live setting."
Besides the inconsistent run blocking, which was the primary reason for the run game's struggles, one area that stood out was the lack of motion in New England's rush plan. According to NextGen Stats, the Patriots ranked last in the NFL with a motion rate of 18.5%. McDaniels also shared his philosophy on using pre-snap motion to deceive opposing defenses.
"Using [motion], it's fun. It can be something that, if you're not careful, can hurt you. It will certainly change what you're looking at over there on the defensive side. With such variables in Week 1 and some of the unknown and uncertainty that goes along with an opening game, there's definitely some pros and cons to it," McDaniels said. "There will probably be weeks where we use it more and weeks where we don't based on what we think is hopefully best for the team."
Along with improving the run game, Maye acknowledged that he needs to be more accurate. In particular, Maye struggled with his short accuracy, going 7-of-13 on throws under 10 air yards. For comparison, Maye's completion percentage on short throws vs. the Raiders was 53.8%, while the league-average completion rate on short throws was 76.1% in Week 1. Maye was far more accurate on underneath throws during his rookie season, so this could be about him adapting to a new system, with his offensive coordinator preaching patience with a second-year quarterback.
"We have to understand it's his first game in our system. We all learned a lot from each experience we've had. Every practice, Washington [joint practice], Minnesota [joint practice], preseason games the little we were able to work together, and then the first full game," McDaniels said on Thursday. "The biggest thing for me is he's a young quarterback. He's learning through all these experiences, and he's the right guy."
When asked if there were any common threads to his missed underneath passes, Maye noted he "rushed" some throws with the offense continuing to work on timing in the passing game.
"I think just some of them, I was rushing them. I see them and kind of rush it to try to get it out to him as quick as I can. The one to Pop [DeMario Douglas], he was getting close to the sideline with a trap corner there, so I tried to get it out as quickly as I could to him to get the first," Maye said. "I feel like I made some pretty good throws throughout the game that I felt good about accuracy-wise. I'm not going to over-harp on too much, but at the same time, you've got to hit guys when they're open."
The throw Maye referenced was the first third-down attempt in last Sunday's game. Douglas ran an out route to the sticks from the right slot, while the defense rotated into a cover-two structure. As Maye said, the corner set a trap to make it look like he was carrying the vertical route up the sideline, and then began breaking on the flat, so Maye threw early to beat the trapping corner to get the first down. Unfortunately, the rushed throw led to shaky footwork in the pocket, resulting in an airmailed pass.
During his weekly media availability, Maye was asked about his footwork after some misses in last Sunday's game, and the Patriots quarterback spoke about the importance of syncing up his footwork with the routes in the pass concept. A big factor in being consistently accurate is having sound footwork and aligning the "throwing hallway" with the intended target, meaning the quarterback's front foot, hips, and shoulders are square to his target as the ball is released. To his credit, Maye completed several passes when his mechanics were sound in Week 1.
"Throughout training camp and over the summer, trying to get a grip on the offense, get a grip on the timing and the routes and how it ties up with my feet. I was accurate and made some throws when my feet timed up with the routes and with the concept," said Maye. "I've just got to stay on my stuff throughout the week of not letting little things like that go to waste. I feel like when I've got a good base, turn my shoulder at it and let it rip, I've been on target. So, that's just the main thing, and I feel good throwing it, so that's what matters.
McDaniels was also asked about Maye's comments that he felt rushed on some of his throws, noting that the coaching staff is learning how to best settle the second-year quarterback into the game.
"Everybody says get him something easy early. The defense always has something to say about that, too. You can try, and that doesn't always do it. I've coached guys who like to get hit. I don't want that to happen, but they did. They felt like they were into the game once they got popped. I've had people who want something short. I've had people who were super aggressive and wanted to go down the field. The first play I ever called in my life, Tom [Brady] threw a post.
"I think we are learning what we need to do to make sure he feels good. I know he likes what we're doing early because we're in constant communication about that. It's just finding a way to be more productive, and if there's any way that we can do that and help that process along, then we need to do it, and we should do it," McDaniels continued.
With the Patriots traveling to Miami this weekend, the external chatter around the team is about New England's recent struggles against the Dolphins, particularly in Miami against QB Tua Tagovailoa. The Pats have yet to beat Tua since the Dolphins drafted the quarterback in 2020, with the Alabama product being a perfect 7-0 vs. the Patriots in his career. The Dolphins offense averaged 25.7 points per game in those seven wins.
Although the defense needs to fare better against Tagovailoa, the offense hasn't produced much against Miami recently, either. In his first start vs. the Dolphins last season, Maye turned the ball over twice in a 34-15 loss in Miami. As a team, the Patriots are only averaging 15.0 points in their last five trips to Hard Rock Stadium, so it's not just the defense that has struggled.
"The goal for everybody after Week 1 is trying to assess where they're at and get back there in Week 2. It's my job to get us going, and like I said, try to start fast. From there, just take what they give me and create positive plays. I think that's what we're trying to create, just positive plays. I feel like if we don't get it our own way, we'll be fine," Maye said.
To get where they want to go this season, the Patriots need Maye and the offense to deliver, starting with Sunday's Week 2 matchup vs. the Dolphins in Miami.
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