The New England Patriots are 3-10 and won't be in the NFL playoffs for the third straight season, but that doesn't mean there's nothing to play for over the final four games of the 2024 campaign.
A strong finish could build some momentum for the upcoming offseason and the 2025 regular season. This four-game stretch also is important for a lot of individual players. Who's going to be part of the team's core going forward? Which of the rookies can flash their potential?
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One player who we know will be part of the core is rookie quarterback Drake Maye. What will Maye be focusing on during this final stretch?
"I think it's a great opportunity to continue that next step of leadership," Maye said Wednesday at his press conference. "These last four games of being a starting quarterback, it comes with a lot of responsibility. Taking a new step, getting in uncomfortable situations or doing some things at the line of scrimmage, little things like that that can go a long way and getting experiences for the next year.
"I think any time you're facing the Bills twice -- we'll see them a lot down the road, I'm sure, and we'll have a lot of challenges -- any time you face a division opponent like that, get ready for years to come."
The Patriots have the third-toughest remaining schedule, as their last three opponents have a combined .654 win percentage.
- Week 15: at Arizona Cardinals
- Week 16: at Buffalo Bills
- Week 17: vs. Los Angeles Chargers
- Week 18: vs. Buffalo Bills
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This season would be considered a massive failure for the Patriots if not for Maye's impressive development. It's a small sample size, but he looks like the real deal -- someone with the ability to be a franchise quarterback, even a superstar-level player, for a long time.
For that reason, the front office needs to show a sense of urgency in surrounding him with better talent next season.. But the team also needs to have some urgency for the rest of the current campaign. There's no reason to wait until next year's minicamp, training camp or regular season to fix the mistakes that are costing the Patriots wins.
Start fixing them now.
"I think everybody's got some urgency. Nobody wants a season like this year again," Maye said. "I think it's two years in a row of a season like this and you start to worry. I think there's definitely some urgency.
"You see it in those guys and you see it especially in the veterans and in me. As a quarterback, there's an urgency to get to that point and fix these things, work on them, get better and use these last four games as a stepping stool."
