On paper, a visit from the lowly Carolina Panthers is just what the rebuilding New England Patriots and turnover-riddled quarterback Drake Maye need in Week 4. A perfect tonic for recovering from last week’s rough defeat to the Pittsburgh Steelers at Gillette Stadium, but the Panthers provide a tougher matchup than expected because they can force Maye to “extend” the Patriots’ biggest problem.
It’s a problem of failing to protect the football, something that can be extended by how the Panthers are challenging QBs in two specific ways. Those ways involve the Panthers playing “zone at the third-highest rate in the league,” as well as liking “to disguise pressure (fifth in creeper pressure rate),” according to Patriots.com Writer Mike Dussault.
Throwing into a ton of zone coverage won’t be anything new for Maye. His dual-threat skills are already forcing defenses to be passive and keep more eyes on him this season.
Yet, there are reasons to believe Maye will look better against zone in Week 4. Reasons that can lead to the Pats and their would-be franchise QB1 solving, or at least reducing, their turnover problem.
Panthers Pose Problems for Drake Maye
Defensive coordinator Ejiro Evero made another second-year quarterback who was a first-round pick in the 2024 NFL draft look foolish. When Atlanta Falcons passer Michael Penix Jr. threw two interceptions, including this pick-six to cornerback Chau Smith-Wade.
This play is an ominous warning to Maye after he made a critical mistake at the goal-line against the Steelers. The Panthers could force similar errors because of the way Evero is creatively scheming coverage and pressure.
He “bases the defense out of odd fronts (3-4) with primarily zone coverage. The Panthers are playing zone schemes on 86 percent of their drop-backs (third-highest rate in the NFL), majoring in cover three with some zone matching vs. slot verticals. They also major in creeper pressures, blitzing a typical coverage player and dropping a rusher off the line. Last week, Evero spun the dial on Penix by changing the coverage shell after showing the Falcons quarterback a different pre-snap picture. Carolina also played more man coverage than usual, with Penix going 1-for-7 for 16 yards and an interception vs. man schemes,” per Patriots.com Staff Writer Evan Lazar.
That last line about an increase in man coverage is telling after Dussault noted Maye saw “a spike in man coverage against the Steelers.” Dussault believes “Maye should have a growing comfort attacking zone coverage.”
If he does, Maye can add the efficiency the Patriots are missing on offense. Provided he takes advantage of a Panthers weaknesses and reins in some of his more gung-ho instincts.
Drake Maye Needs to Change for Patriots
Head coach Mike Vrabel wants Maye to address one key flaw, but playing less hero ball will be easier if Maye receives better protection than he did against the Steelers. His primary offensive linemen all struggled to contain Pittsburgh’s talented defensive front, with those struggles summed up by numbers from the Boston Herald’s Andrew Callahan, who noted 2025 first-round pick, left tackle Will Campbell gave up “2 QB hits, 2 hurries,” and fellow rookie, left guard Jared Wilson allowed “3 hurries.”
Other struggles were referenced by MassLive.com’s Mark Daniels. He pointed out right tackle Morgan Moses surrendered a “sack, hit,” while “Drake/Team/Coverage: 2 sacks, hit.”
Callahan and Daniels highlighting how Steelers outside linebacker Nick Herbig took over is significant. The Steelers boast more game-wreckers across their front seven than the Panthers, who are “struggling to generate pass rush with only one sack on the season, while ranking 30th in team pressure rate (24.3%),” per Lazar.
Keeping Maye upright shouldn’t be a problem this week, even after Wilson suffered a leg injury. What will be just as important as better protection is Maye taking what the Panthers give him and staying on the script written by offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels.
The latter has been happy to change his scheme for Maye, but the signal-caller needs to return the favor and not get reckless in pursuit of a big play.
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