Drake Maye Injury: What We Know After Patriots Qb Left Lions Game

Their Week 10 game against the Detroit Lions was the worst-case scenario for the New England Patriots. Not only were they blown out with a final score of 35-10 to drop to 5-5 on the season, they also lost their starting quarterback to an injury: Drake Maye exited the game in the first quarter due to what was later announced as ankle injury.

Shortly after the game, information is scarce. Based on everything we know, however, here is what we know about Maye and his injury situation.

What happened?

The Patriots started Sunday’s game against the Lions with the ball, and actually moved down the field relatively well; it took them only eight plays to get from their own 25-yard line to the Detroit 3. Once there, however, things started to fall apart.

Two penalties bookending an incomplete pass set up a 3rd-and-goal from the 13-yard line, and that play turned into a disaster for the Patriots. Aidan Hutchinson easily got around left tackle Christian Elliss, and dragged Maye down from behind and he was climbing an increasingly collapsing pocket. Along the way, the two-time Pro Bowl edge came down on Maye’s right ankle.

He did get up under his own power, but Maye showed a noticeable limp while making his way toward the sideline. Once there, he received attention from the team’s medical staff and afterwards headed into the blue medical tent. When he emerged, still clearly hobbled, backup quarterback Tommy DeVito was already getting ready to enter the game.

Maye slowly walked back to the locker room shortly thereafter, and initially labeled questionable to return by the team. Midway through the second quarter, he was downgraded to out.

What do we know about the injury?

Neither head coach Mike Vrabel nor any of his teammates were able to provide an update on Maye’s status during their post-game media availability.

“Obviously, he wasn’t able to finish the game, so we’ll have to get some more tests run and we’ll see when we come back what it ends up being and the severity of whatever injury he has,” Vrabel said at the podium.

“I know that it was a low leg injury. I don’t know the exact details of it but I know he couldn’t go back in. … He couldn’t function. Couldn’t play. Couldn’t run. Couldn’t do whatever he needed to do to play quarterback, to protect himself, to execute, or function at that level.”

Left tackle Will Campbell, who briefly occupied the blue medical tent before Maye went in, gave some more information in the postgame locker room.

“I talked to him,” Campbell told MassLive’s Mark Daniels. “He’s in good spirits and just waiting to hear more information about what it is, and just told him I love him and praying for him and he’s going to be fine. He’s a fighter. Whatever comes his way, he’s going to attack it full head of steam and come back better.”

The Patriots will fly back to the United States on Sunday, with some follow-up testing expected to take place after the team’s arrival on Monday.

What does it mean for the Patriots?

“Any time your starting quarterback goes out and is not able to return, there are questions,” safety Kevin Byard told the media after the game.

The questions mentioned by Byard are manifold in the direct aftermath of both the injury and the contest as a whole. Information about severity or a potential recovery timeline is limited, which in turn also limits the avenues the Patriots might have to explore in the immediate or long-term future.

What we do know is that for however long Maye is sidelined, Tommy DeVito will be the top quarterback on the depth chart with third-stringer Behren Morton backing him up. DeVito completed 12 of 24 pass attempts for 81 yards with one touchdown and interception each after entering the Lions game midway through the first period.

DeVito described his and the offense’s performance after he took over for Maye as “not good enough.” The next chance to improve upon it will come after the Patriots’ upcoming bye, with a Sunday Night game versus the Los Angeles Chargers in Week 12. New England will not start its on-field preparation for that game until a few days beforehand; the team will return to its usual in-game schedule following the bye.

Until then, it all depends on the diagnosis.