​ORCHARD PARK – As you might imagine, New England Patriots fans are in quite a state of anxiety this week. Not that anyone cares because that’s a segment of football nation that no one will ever shed a tear for when times are tough, as they are right now.Their beloved Patriots, the most successful NFL team of the 21st century with their 10 AFC championships and six Super Bowl titles, have stumbled at the start of 2026, losing two of their first three games leading into what is now a critical AFC East showdown Sunday against the Buffalo Bills, even if it’s only Week 4.And it hasn’t even been so much about the two losses in three games that has the most spoiled fan base in a tizzy. The Patriots lost Week 1 in Seattle to the same Seahawks who beat them in the Super Bowl last February, and last Sunday they got clobbered in Jacksonville by a Jaguars team that, just like Seattle, is definitely considered a team that will be in the Super Bowl mix this year.No, the cause for all the consternation is the play of Drake Maye who was supposed to be their next franchise quarterback, the man who they believed would finally move them past the glory of the Tom Brady era after a few years in the wilderness watching the likes of washed up Cam Newton and underwhelming first-round flop Mac Jones.Maye, the No. 3 overall pick in the 2024 draft, played well on a bad 3-14 New England team as a rookie, then flourished in Mike Vrabel’s first season as head coach in 2025, finishing runner-up to Matthew Stafford in the NFL MVP balloting and guiding the Patriots to the Super Bowl, taking full advantage of a historically easy schedule.But Maye was barely functional in the postseason, even though the Patriots won three games before getting waxed by the Seahawks, and his poor play has carried into this season. He has thrown one TD compared to six interceptions, plus lost a fumble and taken nine sacks. Going back to the playoffs, Maye has thrown 10 interceptions and fumbled nine times over his last seven games.“I think it’s disappointing,” Maye said of his performance in Jacksonville where he looked lost. “I think the ball starts rolling like that, we can’t get out of our own way, can’t get out of my own way personally. So I gotta look myself in the mirror and take this as a turning point. We gotta get some fuel and realize that what we’re doing out there offensively is unacceptable. It’s been unacceptable for three weeks. So I gotta start with myself and then lead these guys, and we gotta get back after it.”Bills defensive coordinator Jim Leonhard saw Maye up close last year in the AFC Championship Game when he was the defensive pass game coordinator for the Broncos. Playing without their starting QB, Bo Nix, the Broncos lost 10-7 to New England, certainly not because of Maye as he went just 10 of 21 for 86 yards on a day when the weather turned awful in the second half and neither team could do anything.Now Leonhard gets a chance to game plan against Maye, and h