Mike Vrabel Delivers Blunt Assessment of Drake Maye After Patriots Loss

The New England Patriots had a night to forget against the Green Bay Packers, and head coach Mike Vrabel didn't try to sugarcoat it.

New England committed four turnovers in its Week 9 loss, with Drake Maye throwing three interceptions. Maye completed 21 of 38 passes for 299 yards and three touchdowns, but his turnovers put the Patriots in an early hole and made it difficult to keep pace with Green Bay.

"We lost, and we got our asses kicked," Vrabel told reporters after the game. "There's no two ways around it. Like, that's what happened tonight."

The Patriots coach pointed to several areas that need improvement, including tackling, pressuring the quarterback and creating turnovers defensively. He also stressed the importance of maintaining offensive balance rather than becoming too reliant on the passing game when trailing.

Maye's performance was a significant part of the problem. Vrabel admitted he was disappointed by how the quarterback's afternoon unfolded.

"I'm surprised about, you know, just the way that the day went, the way that it started, and then I guess kind of how the third quarter went," Vrabel said.

Maye took responsibility for his mistakes, acknowledging that his turnovers put the defense in difficult positions and prevented the offense from building momentum.

"Starting with me, man, it's one of the biggest differences between winning and losing football games," Maye said. "And so, you know, our defense in a bad spot, you know, in the first drive. And just, you know, gave them the football."

The quarterback also admitted he was late on some throws and needed to do a better job with his decision-making and communication.

"I'm sure disappointed in myself. You can't put the team in the hole, you know, straight off the bat," Maye said. "And we had chances to, you know, put us back within three points, you know, multiple times. And just frustrating."

Despite the disappointing result, Vrabel emphasized that the Patriots need to move forward together and show how they'll respond.

"Losing is frustrating," Vrabel said. "We're in this together. We're going to get them back and get ready to travel and put 48 guys out there that care and want to exhibit some sort of identity, and see how we respond."