The most important context in all of this is easy to miss: the Patriots are winning anyway. New England has taken both playoff games so far, and that matters. But winning doesn’t erase what’s showing up on tape. It just delays the consequences.
For Drake Maye, the issue has been ball security. Through two playoff games, Maye has fumbled six times and lost three of them. In most postseason runs, that kind of turnover profile ends a season quickly. The Patriots have survived it, not because it isn’t a problem, but because the rest of the roster has stepped up to cover for it.
That’s why this feels less like nitpicking and more like a warning sign. The margin for error shrinks every week in January. You don’t get many free passes, and New England has already used up a few.
The root of the problem isn’t recklessness. It’s physical. Maye’s hand size measures 9 1/8 inches, which puts him in the 16th percentile among quarterbacks, according to MockDraftable.com. That’s below average for the position, and it shows up when conditions get ugly. Smaller hands mean less surface area on the ball. Less surface area means a weaker grip, especially when the ball is cold, wet, or both.
https://www.mockdraftable.com/player/drake-maye
You can see it most clearly in bad weather games. The ball comes loose not because Maye is careless, but because defenders are attacking it. Punches and swipes that bigger-handed quarterbacks absorb turn into fumbles for him. Even when he does everything right mechanically, there’s less margin for error.
So far, the Patriots have survived those moments. They’ve overcome short fields. They’ve leaned on their defense. They’ve won despite the turnovers. But “despite” is the key word. As the competition stiffens, those mistakes become harder to survive.
This is where practical adjustments matter. In poor weather, Maye should strongly consider wearing at least one glove on his non-throwing hand. It’s a small change, but it can help with grip and ball security when navigating the pocket or bracing for contact. Other quarterbacks have made the same choice for the same reason. It’s not about toughness. It’s about protecting the football.
The Patriots are still alive, and that’s the headline. But the playoffs are also revealing something underneath it. If this run is going to continue, Maye’s fumbling issue can’t just be endured. It has to be addressed.
