The focus of the moment in New England is the stunning regression of quarterback Drake Maye. On Wednesday, both Maye and coach Mike Vrabel addressed the situation with reporters. On Thursday, offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels fielded questions about Maye.
McDaniels disagrees with the notion that Maye has issues with confidence.
“I’ve played golf with him, pickleball with him,” McDaniels said. “I’ve watched him play football, and I’m not really sure what changes that for him. He’s blessed in that regard, you know? When I hit a tee shot in the woods, my confidence is shattered, you know, and then I’m gonna do it again and again and again. He doesn’t really do that. He can do that, and then the next one’s down the middle, it’s 340 [yards], and you’re sitting there going, ‘How did that happen?’ And I think his mindset is — and it’s the way you have to be as a quarterback. It’s not too dissimilar to being a cornerback. You know, when you say, ‘You gotta have a short memory. Yeah, you’re gonna give up a catch.’ And quarterbacks, you know, if you throw the ball enough, something bad’s gonna happen, you know? And yes, there are things that we can do better. Yes, there are things that we can work on to try to make some of the negative scenarios that we’ve had happen go away, you know, and that’s what he’s focused on, you know? But his demeanor, his countenance, his facial expressions, his ability to, interject things in the meetings has not changed, you know? And, you know, and I love that about the kid. I think, like I said, he’s blessed in that regard, because I think there’s, you know, there’s people that sometimes let those things weigh on them.”
In that same vein, McDaniels said earlier in the session that Maye has “no yips.”
But it’s one thing to shake off a bad slice, or an improperly pickled ball, when no one is looking. Thousands are scrutinizing every move Maye makes in person, and millions are watching on TV. The pressure is much greater at Gillette Stadium than it is at Bushwood Country Club.
Whatever the source of Maye’s struggles may be, the coaching staff needs to fix it. Quickly. A loss on Sunday would put the Bills at 4-0 and the Patriots at 1-3. That would match their entire loss total from 2025.
The Bills got one of their key offensive players back on the field on Thursday.
Receiver Keon Coleman was a limited participant in the day’s session after he was sidelined for Wednesday’s practice with an ankle injury.
Coleman, in his third season, has caught eight passes for 101 yards so far in 2026.
Linebacker Joe Andreessen (knee) and defensive lineman T.J. Sanders (illness) were also upgraded from DNP to limited.
Defensive lineman Deone Walker (quad) was upgraded from limited to full.
Cornerback Christian Benford (toe) missed a second consecutive practice.
Safety Damar Hamlin (ribs) and receiver DJ Moore (shoulder) remained limited.
Linebacker Terrel Bernard (knee), outside linebacker Bradley Chubb (thumb), guard Ar’maj Reed-Adams (elbow), and linebacker Dorian Williams (hip) remained full.
Running back Ray Davis (hamstring) was added to the report as a full participant. And defensive back Sam Franklin missed practice for personal reasons.
The Bills will host the Patriots on Sunday afternoon.
Patriots cornerback Christian Gonzalez missed his second practice of the week on Thursday.
Gonzalez is dealing with a shoulder injury after playing 52 of the team’s 59 defensive snaps in Week 3. Gonzalez had two tackles and a pass breakup in the 35-6 loss to the Jaguars.
Defensive tackle Christian Barmore (shoulder) and right tackle Morgan Moses (foot) were also out of practice for the second straight day. Fullback Reggie Gilliam (knee) was downgraded to out after being limited on Wednesday.
Cornerback Channing Canada (hamstring) was added to the report as a limited participant. Linebacker Christian Elliss (chest), linebacker Dre’Mont Jones (shoulder), tight end Eli Raridon (thigh), safety Brenden Schooler (back), and safety Craig Woodson (shoulder) were limited for the second time this week.
Quarterback Drake Maye (right shoulder) remained a full participant ahead of Sunday’s game against the Bills.
Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel dismissed a report that he has issues with quarterback Drake Maye during a Wednesday press conference by saying that coaching Maye is the reason he’s in New England and Maye got his chance to comment on it later in the day.
While Vrabel said he didn’t “have much to add to that about a comment from an unnamed source,” Maye’s response avoided discussion of where the report came from and focused on how much he likes playing for the coach.
“Coach Vrabel’s been one of the best football coaches I’ve had in my life,” Maye said, via a transcript from the team. “I think Coach Vrabel’s been one of the biggest things as to why this has been so enjoyable for me is playing for Coach. I think we all feel that way in the locker room. He pushes us hard. I’ve loved playing for him, and it’s not going to change. It hasn’t changed, and it won’t change. The way he pushes me, and he coaches the quarterbacks in a way that I really respect, and I’m looking forward to getting going, proving to Coach that I can lead this football team and play good football.”
Maye also fielded questions about whether an injury to his shoulder is contributing to his poor play so far this season and there will continue to be questions about what’s bothering a player who finished second in MVP voting last year until he starts playing at that level again.
Wide receiver Keon Coleman missed the first Bills practice of the week.
Coleman was out with the ankle injury that led to him being listed as questionable to play last Sunday. Coleman played against the Chargers, but only took part in practice on the Friday before the game.
Linebacker Joe Andreesen (knee), cornerback Christian Benford (toe), and defensive lineman TJ Sanders (illness) were also out of practice.
Defensive tackle Deone Walker has been one of the defensive standouts for the Bills during their 3-0 start, but he was limited by a quad injury on Wednesday. Wide receiver DJ Moore (shoulder) and safety Damar Hamlin (ribs) were also limited.
Linebacker Terrel Bernard (knee), linebacker Bradley Chubb (thumb), guard Ar’maj Reed-Adams (elbow), and linebacker Dorian Williams (hip) were full participants.
