"Riding the rollercoaster": Drake Maye reveals biggest regret from Eagles joint practice

The encouraging part for Drake Maye is that joint practices with the Philadelphia Eagles no longer feel like a measuring stick the New England Patriots are failing. The frustrating part is that he knows they could have been better.

After a strong opening session Wednesday, Maye endured a more uneven Thursday that included two interceptions and several red-zone snaps he wanted back.

One of those picks came on a throw intended for A.J. Brown , making the missed opportunity stand out even more as the two continue building chemistry.

“I think we had a lot of great work,” Maye said after practice. “I think the biggest thing is that is a good football team over there, and I think just not riding the rollercoaster.”

That became his biggest takeaway from the two days in that New England showed it could compete with Philadelphia, but not yet with the consistency Maye wants.

“I feel like we had some good periods that we were attacking them and had some good plays,” he said. “Then we had some periods where we got to continue the competitive stamina.”

Red-zone mistakes left Maye wanting more

Thursday was hardly a disaster. Maye still threw touchdowns to Brown , Mack Hollins and Romeo Doubs , and the Patriots held their own against one of the league’s deeper defenses.

Still, the quarterback was clearly bothered by the chances that disappeared close to the goal line.

“I know it's tough down there in the red zone, a lot of bodies in a short amount of space, but I feel like we could have done more in the red zone,” Maye said. “It's one of our focuses this year to be better in the red zone, so we got some work to do.”

The performance came one day after he opened Wednesday by completing his first 13 passes, illustrating how quickly momentum can shift during competitive practice periods.

It also gave Maye another reason to appreciate how far the Patriots have come since the Eagles visited Foxborough during his rookie year.

“I was watching some of those plays earlier in the week. I was just laughing,” Maye said. “Little things like that, that we were laughing about, just how far we have come.”

Hurts gives Maye another standard to chase

After practice, Maye sought out Jalen Hurts before leaving the field.

The Patriots quarterback has followed Hurts’ career for years and said he respects both his success and the work ethic behind it.

“I'm a big fan of his game. Rooting for him,” Maye said. “He's a Super Bowl champ. That speaks for itself.”

One of Maye’s close friends, Sam Howell , previously shared a quarterback room with Hurts , giving Maye another perspective on how the Philadelphia star prepares.

“I got to know some stories about Jalen and how he works,” Maye said. “I respect him a lot for that. I'm pulling for him.”

That focus on preparation fits where Maye is entering Year 3. The Patriots are clearly better than they were two years ago. Now the standard has shifted.

Being competitive is no longer enough. The mistakes Maye regrets are becoming the details that could decide how far New England goes.