The New England Patriots faced an early injury scare involving starting quarterback Drake Maye during their Nov. 15 matchup with the Detroit Lions in Munich, Germany. Maye went to the locker room after being sacked by Detroit defensive star Aidan Hutchinson in the first quarter. The severity of Maye’s injury and whether he would return were not immediately known.
Maye and Hutchinson Hurt on the Same Play
New England had moved deep into Detroit territory on its opening drive. A 26-yard flea-flicker completion from Maye to Mack Hollins helped the Patriots reach the red zone, but penalties pushed them back. On third-and-goal, Hutchinson beat offensive tackle Will Campbell and sacked Maye for a 2-yard loss.
Maye appeared shaken up after the play. Hutchinson also went down after jumping to celebrate the sack, landing awkwardly and grabbing his lower right leg. He eventually left the field with a limp.
The Patriots finished the drive with a 33-yard field goal by Andy Borregales, taking an early 3-0 lead. Maye’s trip to the locker room then raised questions about who would lead New England’s offense for the rest of the game.
Patriots’ Quarterback Situation
Maye had been dealing with a right shoulder issue before the game. He was listed on the Patriots’ injury report during the week but participated fully in all three practices and did not receive an injury designation for Sunday’s matchup. It was not immediately clear whether his departure was related to that shoulder issue.
The injury scare came as New England sought to rebound from a 45-27 loss to the Green Bay Packers in Week 9. The Patriots entered the game with a 5-4 record, while Detroit was 6-2. If Maye could not return, backup quarterback Tommy DeVito was available to take over. Rookie Behren Morton was designated as the emergency third quarterback.
