FOXBOROUGH – When most of the Patriots were finished celebrating, Drake Maye walked into the visitors’ locker room inside Mile High Stadium. Wearing a button-down flannel, the quarterback wasn’t smiling as music blasted through the air.
That’s when Stefon Diggs asked Maye if he was OK.
The Patriots quarterback smiled. Diggs told Maye, “You got two weeks,” as he departed for the team bus.
A day later, the internet was ablaze with rumors that Maye suffered a shoulder injury in the Patriots’ AFC Championship win over the Denver Broncos. Former Los Angeles Chargers team physician David J. Chao posted a video where he speculated Maye suffered the injury in the third quarter.
On Tuesday, Mike Vrabel was asked several times about Maye’s health during his weekly WEEI appearance. Later, during his press conference with the local media, the Patriots coach was asked if the talk about Maye’s shoulder was overblown.
“Probably,” Vrabel said. “… But I think that everybody, including Drake, are not 100% this part of the year. We’ll do everything that we can to help our players be prepared and get ready for this game.”
Did Maye suffer a shoulder injury on Sunday in Denver?
“No, I wouldn’t say that anybody hurt anything,” Vrabel said. “Again, this is a sport where there’s going to be things that’s going that come up, but I don’t think we’ll talk about whatever status each player has for the game. Once we’re required to, and we understand that. We were able to function offensively – throw the football, run the football. That’s where everybody is at.”
With the Patriots bound for Super Bowl 60 against the Seattle Seahawks, the questions about Maye’s shoulder likely won’t go away.
Whether he suffered an injury remains a matter of online speculation. There are signs that something might have happened. There are also signs that people are overreacting.
At 3:46 of the third quarter, Maye ran out of the pocket and slid awkwardly as he was tackled by Talanoa Hufanga. The quarterback clearly landed on his right shoulder. Maye can be seen rotating that shoulder and adjusting his shoulder pad afterward.
However, two plays later, Maye completed a 31-yard pass to Mack Hollins. The quarterback’s arm looked fine on that play. The same can be said when Maye iced the game on his first-down run. It’s here where the quarterback stiff-armed Jonah Elliss with his right hand.
For those speculating, however, there were signs that something could be wrong with Maye’s shoulder.
During the post-game celebration, the quarterback lifted the Lamar Hunt Trophy with his left arm. When he ran into the locker room, he swung his left arm much more than his right.
This season, Maye put together an MVP-caliber performance. He finished the season leading the NFL with a 72.0% completion percentage with 4,394 yards, 31 touchdowns, and eight interceptions. In the playoffs, he’s completed 55.8% of his passes to go with 533 yards, four touchdowns, and two interceptions.
The Patriots’ passing game hasn’t been efficient. People speculating might point to his shoulder.
Vrabel points to the fact that the Patriots faced three top-5 defenses in this Super Bowl run. The Patriots coach didn’t say Maye was injured, but noted offensively, they need to be better against the Seahawks.
“A lot of that stuff will have to be better,” Vrabel said. “We’ll have to be better and play one of our best games, if not our best game against Seattle, to stay balanced, to run the football to use all our complementary passing game. And not just turn it into a drop-back passing game. That’s a tough way to live in this league.
“Especially with the players that they have. They are probably the best in the National Football League at running games up front and creating pressure. They work very well together. It’s something we show our guys every week. I know that’ll be a big key in this game to block those guys up front.”
That’ll be a key for the Patriots as they need to keep Maye upright – and perhaps, off that right shoulder.
