Dolphins 34, Patriots 15
Q. In that second possession where you were driving so much and just to have it the way it did --
DRAKE MAYE: I think the penalties hurt us just the whole first half. Hurting ourselves. Had a chance to move the ball on these guys, and they were pretty good up front. They're a good defense that we faced. Just nothing that they did. I think just penalties set us back and kind of put us behind the 8-ball. We just can't do that in this league.
Q. Do you feel like instead of improving you took a step back here?
DRAKE MAYE: I wouldn't say that. Penalties are something that you can control. I think when you see something improving, I think we're making plays, and we have a chance to do some things. I think penalties are not necessarily an easy fix necessarily, but it's more focus and listening to the calls and to the cadence and little things like that.
I don't think it's something we're just getting beat and out-talented. I think we're hurting ourselves, and we have a chance the last games to put some good film on tape and find ways to find some wins.
Q. How do you feel about the cadence and the calls for you?
DRAKE MAYE: Credit to the stadium. They were pretty loud at times. I think just being on different cadences,
we worked it all week. Sometimes I don't blame those guys up front. They have a tough job. They have to get off on the snap count and get back and block some good guys on the edge. I don't blame them for getting off and trying to get a good set. Sometimes those things happen.
I just think we had too many I think holds. I think some of them just pushed me on the first down. First down you're getting first and 20s and second and 16s. It's just hard. It's hard to pick up first downs to move the ball.
Q. One of the missed connections with DeMario, you kind of looked like another missed communication.
DRAKE MAYE: I just missed him. Got a chance to put ourselves and go and score and put some points on the board and keep us in the ball game really. More just mad at myself.
We caught them in a blitz, the boundary blitz, that really was nobody covering him. So just got to hit him. That's an easy throw, and just missed it.
Q. So much of this year we have talked about learning experiences. Doing this for the first time on the turnovers, what was your take on those that you learned from going forward on those two plays?
DRAKE MAYE: Yeah, the fumble, just find a way to protect the football and go down or find a way to get it out.
I think maybe could have spun out of it and kind of reversed dived it and maybe could have escaped it, but other than that, just can't try to -- I don't want to swim move the guy with a football. That's just bad.
Protect the football, preached it all week, and I didn't do that out there. The interception, trying to check it down and happened to get tipped. I'm not too worried about that.
Q. (Off microphone)
DRAKE MAYE: Yeah, just trying to make a play and put some points on the board.
Q. When you guys are down the way you were, Drake, are you more willing to take risks that might result in turnovers because you do have to push to --
DRAKE MAYE: I think it's hard. It's hard to balance and try to make plays and keep drives alive. You are third and long or the last touchdown was fourth and 15. Just trying to make something happen, give us a little light.
It ended up happening. Gonzo put us back in the ball game and then go down there and turn the ball back over. So tough and frustrating. I know we have better football ahead of us, and this wasn't our best product today.
Q. You have won a lot of games throughout your life. How are you handling the struggles right now?
DRAKE MAYE: It's tough. Any time you are losing, I think -- like I've always said, I hate losing more than I really like to win. Losing sucks, and I think just -- I told some guys, Just remember this feeling. Remember this feeling of really getting our butts whooped today, and it's only up from here.
We have a bright future and bright players in there that are going to make some plays for the Patriots.
Q. Do you think it would have been different if you get a touchdown in that first -- it's the second possession, but in the first sustained drive? Do you think back to that you think it's a whole different game if we score there?
DRAKE MAYE: I think so. Maybe. It's easy to say it's a whole new ball game and go and score 14-7. That's a lot better than punting it away and making it 21-0, so yeah.
Thank you.
FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports