Patriots Country

Patriots Receive Harsh Criticism for Drake Maye Plan

The New England Patriots have received some harsh criticism for their Drake Maye plan in Week 18.

Evan Massey

Dec 28, 2024; Foxborough, Massachusetts, USA; New England Patriots quarterack Drake Maye (10) throws the ball against the Los Angeles Chargers during the first half at Gillette Stadium.
Dec 28, 2024; Foxborough, Massachusetts, USA; New England Patriots quarterack Drake Maye (10) throws the ball against the Los Angeles Chargers during the first half at Gillette Stadium. / Gregory Fisher-Imagn Images
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The New England Patriots are planning to play to win in Week 18 against the Buffalo Bills. Despite the fact that a loss would win them the No. 1 overall pick, Jerod Mayo and company seem motivated to make sure that they don't get that pick or the draft haul that could come by trading it.

Drake Maye has been a massive bright spot in an otherwise brutal season for the Patriots. He is going to get the start this week and it sounds like New England plans to play him the whole game.

Due to that strategy, the Patriots are receiving some harsh criticism.

Bill Simmons of The Ringer, a longtime Boston sports fan, did not hold back his thoughts about New England playing Maye this week and gunning for a meaningless win.

“The 2024 Patriots are the worst-run Boston sports team since Paul Gaston’s last couple Celtics years," Simmons posted on X. "Complete dumpster fire. There’s no way Maye should play on Sunday. I honestly can’t believe the Krafts are this incompetent. Oh, happy new year!”

Honestly, Simmons makes a great point. There is no point in playing Maye this week. Playing one more game is not going to develop him anymore than he already has.

Also, the Patriots are risking Maye getting hurt in the last game of a lost season. That isn't a great look for the franchise.

New England has not been great at protecting the quarterback this season. While the Bills are not expected to play starters for any serious amount of time, they will have backups who are hungry to make a name for themselves.

Hopefully, the Patriots do not shoot themselves in the foot and win this week. It would be painful to see the No. 1 pick slip away in the final game of the season in a game that means nothing to win. That would also set back the franchise from taking a huge and quick leap forward.

It will be interesting to see how the game ends up going. Playing Maye certainly is a mistake and Simmons has every right to fell the way that he feels.

Most New England fans feel the same way and this weekend could end up being an absolute disaster.

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Evan Massey
EVAN MASSEY

Evan Massey is a sports reporter and analyst who covers college football, the NFL and NBA. He has contributed to the On SI network since July 2021. He has also written for ESPN, Yahoo! Sports, Forbes, Bleacher Report, NFLAnalysis.net, NBAAnalysis.net and many other publications. In his free time, Evan enjoys spending time with his wife and son.

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