Drake Maye's day in Munich ended early. The Patriots quarterback injured his ankle on the final play of New England's opening drive against the Lions on Sunday, sacked by Detroit edge rusher Aidan Hutchinson, and he did not return to finish out the first half.
Maye walked off the field under his own power and initially went to the bench before heading to the locker room with trainers, according to NFL.com. The sack came for a loss of two yards, as described by the Boston Globe in its live coverage of the game from Germany. At the time he exited, Maye had completed 3 of 4 passes for 48 yards and added an 11-yard scramble, per the same NFL.com report.
Tommy DeVito took over at quarterback for New England once Maye was sidelined. The Patriots' own communications team posted on X that Maye had an ankle injury and was questionable to return, writing, “.@Patriots Injury Update: QB Drake Maye has an ankle injury and is questionable to return.”
Conflicting Reports on Maye's Status
Accounts of Maye's status diverged as the game went on. NBC Sports reported that the team listed him as questionable to return with the ankle injury, while USA Today later reported that Maye was officially ruled out with about six minutes remaining in the first half. The two outlets did not reconcile the exact timing between those updates.
Maye was not the only player hurt on the play. Hutchinson, the Lions pass rusher who delivered the sack, was also injured and was listed as questionable to return with a knee injury, the station's report noted. The Patriots also saw right tackle Morgan Moses leave the game with an injury, per the same NBC Sports account.
A Rough Start for New England Abroad
The Providence Journal was first to report that Maye's exit came early in the contest, framing it as a first-drive injury that forced New England to adjust on the fly in Germany. For a Patriots team already dealing with a banged-up offensive line, losing its starting quarterback and starting right tackle within the same half added to the uncertainty surrounding the rest of the afternoon.
