Drake Maye Injured, Latest Updates on Patriots QB After Ankle Injury vs. Lions

The New England Patriots announced quarterback Drake Maye suffered an ankle injury against the Detroit Lions and was ruled out for the remainder of the game.

Maye was seen going to the locker room with an apparent limp during the first quarter:

Maye has started all 10 games for the Patriots this season after starting all 17 during the team's 2025 campaign. He also started all four playoff games during the team's run to the last Super Bowl.

The No. 3 overall pick of the 2024 NFL draft has been fairly durable throughout the early portion of his career, which is one reason he reached the Pro Bowl in each of his first two seasons.

However, this setback meant New England had to turn toward Tommy DeVito under center against a formidable Lions team that entered play with a 6-2 record.

Maye has had something of an up-and-down 2026 season, as he completed 65.4 percent of his passes for 2,282 yards and 18 touchdowns in his first nine games. Yet he also entered Sunday's matchup leading the NFL with 11 interceptions.

Three of those picks came in the last game against the Green Bay Packers, so he was surely looking to bounce back Sunday against the Lions.

The timing of the injury is particularly concerning for New England, as it dropped two of its last three games to fall to 5-4 on the season. It is tied with the Cleveland Browns in the race for the AFC's final wild-card spot and doesn't have much room for error in the standings department.

A prolonged absence for Maye would put the reigning AFC champion's playoff chances in serious doubt.