Drake Maye and the Patriots had an ugly game Sunday, but Maye is hardly the only quarterback with a concerning start to the season.
Per ESPN's reporting, insiders Jeremy Fowler and Dan Graziano evaluated which QBs land on the early-season panic meter, with Fowler placing Maye at the top for now.
Maye has thrown six interceptions in three games, and Mike Vrabel's comment after the 35-6 loss to Jacksonville was blunt: 'My concern level is very high for this football team.'
Vrabel questioned whether the Patriots' offense needs to scale back its game plans, essentially to do less but do it better.
Maye faced a 47% pressure rate in Sunday's loss, the highest he has faced this season and the fourth highest of his three-year career, per ESPN Research.
He went 4-of-9 with an interception when pressured and has completed just 41% of his passes under pressure this season, with no touchdowns and three interceptions.
The Patriots placed guard Greg Van Roten on injured reserve Tuesday after he suffered a thigh injury in the second quarter of Sunday's game.
Van Roten, who started in place of the season-ending injured Mike Onwenu, is the 17th player New England has placed on IR or reached an injury settlement with this season.
Among those already sidelined are Onwenu, A.J. Brown, Julian Hill, Dell Pettus, Marcus Bryant, and Bryce Baringer.
The loss of Van Roten further degrades the infrastructure around Maye, whose passing game was designed to feed A.J. Brown — now absent — and operate within Josh McDaniels' complex scheme.
Despite the struggles, Maye was considered one of the cleanest quarterback prospects of the past half-decade and played at an MVP level less than a calendar year ago.
Fowler noted that Cam Ward and Justin Herbert also garner varying degrees of panic, but Maye remains the top concern for now.
After J.J. McCarthy kicked off trading season Monday by going to the Giants, ESPN's insiders probed for more potential QB trades on deck.
Meanwhile, the Las Vegas Raiders, off a 3-0 start matching their 2025 win total, face questions about sustainability, though no confirmation of regression exists in the source material.
The Washington Commanders ruled out guards Sam Cosmi and safety Nick Cross for their London game against the Colts, with both injured in Week 2 — Cosmi with a concussion, Cross requiring surgery for an internal injury.
Jayden Daniels (elbow), Chig Okonkwo (hamstring), and Frankie Luvu (groin) did travel to London and are expected to participate in at least some practice this week.
If Daniels cannot play, Marcus Mariota would start; if Luvu is unavailable, Kain Medrano would start alongside Sonny Styles.
Medrano intercepted a pass and returned it 50 yards for a touchdown in Washington's win over Seattle, while Leo Chenal fractured his neck and Jordan Magee is on IR with a hamstring injury.
Okonkwo, like Luvu, has missed the last two weeks due to hamstring issues.
The Steelers' T.J. Watt and Cowboys' George Pickens are among 13 players who could be trade targets, though the deadline remains six weeks away and swaps may be difficult this year.
In Chicago, Case Keenum led the Bears to a 27-7 win over the Eagles, completing 24-of-34 for 247 yards and two touchdowns, but may return to backup status once Tyson Bagent is healthy.
Ben Johnson said there was a reason Bagent ended training camp as the No. 2 quarterback, and the staff will discuss the QB1 role going forward.
Keenum had not started a regular-season game in 1,009 days before his performance against Philadelphia.
This article synthesizes reporting from ESPN, Yahoo Sports. Top story: "NFL Week 4 latest intel, buzz questions, news, fantasy tips" (ESPN).
