"I Don't Think He Has Improved": Rob Gronkowski Calls Out Drake Maye Despite Patriots' Blowout Win Over Steelers
· Yahoo Sports
The New England Patriots fans might still be remembering that teary-eyed face of Drake Maye after a 29-13 loss to the Seahawks in Super Bowl LX. His 2025 regular season looked strong, but in the postseason his completion percentage dropped to 58.3%. While Maye must be moving into 2026, trying to flip the script, he got handed brutal feedback from Rob Gronkowski, even after a 20-3 win against the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Visit syntagm.co.za for more information.
“I don’t think he has improved since last year. No. And what he has shown so far is that he’s kind of like off balance. His mechanics really aren’t there. His reads looks like he’s forcing things and it looks like he’s panicking a little bit, which isn’t good,” said the Patriots legend, Gronkowski, on the Up & Adams podcast. “You want your quarterback to be calm, cool, and collected at all times.
“And like he was last year, and I truly think playing all these good defenses now that they’re scheming up, they’re blitzing him, he’s getting the pressure on him, it’s making him think more. So I’m not going to, say, he’s regressing. Yeah, I think it’s too soon, but we got to give him a couple more weeks and see where he’s at.”
The 20-3 victory was a dominant defensive performance, but Maye’s struggles overshadowed the margin. Somehow, Maye lacks heavily when it comes to looking technically sound or stable when making plays. After the first two games, he has left a lot of stones unturned. The stats are concerning: Maye leads the league with four interceptions. When it comes to production, he is lagging with one touchdown. If we tally Maye’s performance last season, we will know where Gronkowski’s words come from.
He finished runner-up for NFL MVP in 2025 after he threw just eight interceptions all season. This season, it has been only two weeks, and he has ticked off half of 2025’s interception quota.
Talking about pocket pressure? He has faced the fourth-most pressure in the league, according to PFF. And the numbers on how he performed in those moments are concerning.
Despite posting a 75.6 rating in Sunday’s victory, the Patriots QB has managed just a 26.8 PFF grade when under pressure. For comparison, Caleb Williams of Chicago and Miami’s Malik Willis lead the list with grades of 50.
The fact that Maye struggled for an offense averaging just 15 points per game also led Julian Edelman, too, to highlight the issues.
“Drake didn’t look comfortable at all,” Edelman said. “He looks – even on that interception, his feet aren’t set. He’s like drifting. He just doesn’t feel comfortable.”
What is more concerning is that Maye felt like a fish out of water even after the Patriots overhauled the receiving corps during the offseason, adding A.J. Brown and Romeo Doubs. Overall, the offensive line performed better against Seattle on Sunday than they did in the Super Bowl. Yet something was still off for Maye.
Trending Articles
- 2x Super Bowl-Winning Chiefs QB Joins CFL Team After Failing to Secure Another NFL Shot
- Giants Forced to Take Action Against Jaxson Dart After He Tried to Play Through a Knee Injury Against Rams
- “It Can Get Aggravated”: Broncos HC Sean Payton Confirms If He’ll Need Surgery After Announcing Health Problems
- ESPN’s Troy Aikman Under Fire for Major Error During Rams-Giants MNF Broadcast Amid Contract Uncertainty
- “You Have to See That, Ref”: Cam Skattebo Erupts After Giants RB Gets Pancaked by Rams Defenders
The post "I Don't Think He Has Improved": Rob Gronkowski Calls Out Drake Maye Despite Patriots' Blowout Win Over Steelers appeared first on EssentiallySports. Add EssentiallySports as a Preferred Source by clicking here.