Patriots GM Says Drake Maye's Shoulder Injury Not to Blame for Super Bowl Struggles

Drake Maye's health was a major storyline following the New England Patriots' 29-13 loss to the Seattle Seahawks in the Super Bowl, especially since he needed a pain-killing injection in his right throwing shoulder.

But it wasn't the reason the quarterback or offense struggled, at least in the eyes of Patriots general manager Eliot Wolf.

"I think that's probably a question better asked to him," Wolf told reporters. "I didn't feel that way. I just felt like we just couldn't get into a rhythm offensively." 

Maye went 27-of-43 for 295 yards, two touchdowns, two interceptions and a lost fumble, and much of his production and the two touchdowns came in the fourth quarter after the Seahawks were already in full control.

What's more, one of his interceptions was returned for a touchdown by Uchenna Nwosu.

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While the second-year quarterback was a revelation during the regular season and finished second in MVP voting as a major reason New England had such an impressive campaign, he wasn't as productive in the playoffs with six touchdown passes to four interceptions.

He also threw for a mere 86 yards in the AFC Championship Game win over the Denver Broncos.

Still, the Patriots are thrilled with where they are at with such a promising young signal-caller as the franchise cornerstone for years to come.

"Satisfied is a tremendous understatement," Wolf said. "Drake made a ton of progress in a lot of areas, not only at the start of the season, but throughout the season. I think people forget that he's 23 years old and there's a been a lot on his shoulders, and there will continue to be with the expectation that it has being the quarterback of the New England Patriots. 

"But I'm just really excited about him, his toughness, his competitiveness. He's always the same guy. Obviously, there are areas on the field that he's going to improve, and he's going to work with coach [Josh] McDaniels and [quarterbacks] coach [Ashton] Grant and get those things taken care of."

Perhaps things would have finished differently if Maye was healthy, but the Patriots were ultimately facing a dominant defense that set the tone right from the opening kick.