Three weeks into the season, the New England Patriots quarterback, Drake Maye, is now under the microscope. The turnovers piled up, the offense disappeared, and the Patriots were left staring at a humiliating 35-6 defeat against the Jacksonville Jaguars. While the box score already showed an ugly picture, one Patriots legend’s reaction made the defeat sound worse.

“It was a horrible game. The Patriots got their tail beat. I mean, belt a-s 35-7. Drake Maye look absolutely horrible. He looked like he forgot how to play football, ladies and gentlemen,” said Asante Samuel on Say What Needs To Be Said. “317 yards of total offense for the New England Patriots. Don’t even pay that attention. Don’t even look at that right now, cuz when we get into it, this is just amazing…Those stats had nothing to do with the game as far as I’m concerned.”

The official score was actually 35-6, with the Jaguars dominating the Patriots at EverBank Stadium. The defeat dropped the Patriots to 1-2, while Drake Maye’s difficult afternoon became one of the biggest talking points post-game.

The Patriots managed 317 yards of total offense, and the Jaguars had 315, including 137 on the ground. That gap looks small on paper, but Samuel’s point was that the scoreboard told a different story.

Maye lost a fumble and threw two interceptions. One INT arrived on a downfield throw into coverage, while his fumble happened during the first half. The Patriots writer Evan Lazar’s report counted four turnover-worthy plays, including a dropped INT that a penalty would have wiped out.

The QB finished 14-of-25 for 199 yards, and looked indecisive even on his completions. As the Patriots were falling behind with 35-6 in the fourth quarter, HC Mike Vrabel benched Maye and put in backup Tommy DeVito with under eight minutes left. But the backup QB was not able to change the direction of the game.

The benching was more about the game being out of reach than about Maye alone. Over three weeks, Maye has recorded one TD and league-high six interceptions.

“I can’t get out of my own way, personally,” Maye said after the Week 3 game. “I have to look at myself in the mirror and take this as a turning point…At the same time, we gotta add some fuel and realize that what we’re doing out there is unacceptable; it’s been unacceptable for three weeks, so I gotta start with myself and gotta lead these guys, and we gotta get back after it.”

Maye himself acknowledged the severity of the performance. Vrabel also admitted that he was more concerned after the loss.

Maye wasn’t the only problem. The Patriots played without WR A.J. Brown, RG Mike Onwenu, and edge rusher Dre’Mont Jones. Greg Van Roten also left with an injury after 22 snaps. Maye faced pressure on 48.4% of his drop-backs. The run game managed only four successful runs on 15 carries.

The Jaguars converted eight of 12 third downs and went five-for-five in the red zone. Trevor Lawrence threw three TD passes, and the Patriots committed nine penalties.

That said, the schedule offers no relief. New England will play the Buffalo Bills next on October 4. At 1-2, they need Maye to look like himself again soon.