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Drake Maye has been ‘a mess’ this season – and Bill Simmons thinks ‘post-Sedona’ Mike Vrabel deserves some blame

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Cite

Richter, E. (2026, September 21). Drake Maye has been ‘a mess’ this season – and Bill Simmons thinks ‘post-Sedona’ Mike Vrabel deserves some blame. New York Post. https://nypost.com/2026/09/21/sports/drake-maye-has-been-a-mess-this-season-bill-simmons/

Dated when The Aporia collected the article, usually within hours of publication. Check the original for its exact date and byline.

New York Post · collected 2026-09-21 · by Erich Richter

Quick Summary

Drake Maye, who led the New England Patriots to the Super Bowl last year, has struggled this season, throwing an interception against the Steelers on Sunday and accumulating just 208 passing yards in a 20-3 win. Bill Simmons criticized Maye's performance as "a mess" during his podcast, suggesting that head coach Mike Vrabel’s personal issues might be affecting team dynamics after reports of his alleged affair with NFL reporter Dianna Russini. The Patriots also face injuries to key players like A.J. Brown and Mike Onwenu, adding to their challenges heading into upcoming games against the Jaguars and the Bills.
Written by AI on 2026-09-21, from this article's own text only (the story summary below draws on all the coverage).

AI analysis

Story summary

Summary

On Sunday, the New England Patriots defeated the Pittsburgh Steelers 20-3 in a game dominated by the Patriots' defense and Aaron Rodgers' struggles. Here are key points from the game:

Overall, while the Patriots secured their victory against Rodgers' fading performance, there are lingering concerns about Maye's consistency and Vrabel's strategic decisions. The game underscores the importance of strong defensive play and effective quarterback management.

Written for “Steelers vs Patriots Matchup” on 2026-11-05, grounded in this article and the 9 other(s) covering the same event.

Story

📰 Steelers vs Patriots Matchup
Sports · 10 article(s) covering the same event. Compare every outlet's account →

Compared with similar articles

This article reads unscored and hedges 10% of its claims. Each row says how that neighbour differs.
Toronto Star
Hedges 0 of 23 claims Outlet record 64/100
“While both articles refer to the same game, Article B focuses on post-game analysis and commentary about Drake Maye's performance and Mike Vrabel's response, rather than describing the specific incident of the game itself.”
New York Post
Hedges 0 of 13 claims Outlet record 66/100
“The articles refer to different games and periods of time, with Article A discussing a Week 1 loss to the Seahawks while Article B mentions a later game against the Steelers.”
How this article was measured signals, leaning charts, publisher record, byline, topics and claims

Signals How these are calculated →

Claims extracted
20
sentences that state something as happening or true
Uncertain
10%
2 of 20 hedged ("reportedly", "may", "according to")
Leaning
not political
takes no side on a contested political question
Publisher signals
66/100
New York Post's corrections and hedging, across everything collected from it. Not a measure of accuracy.
Outlets on this story
10
Sports
Same framing elsewhere
1
articles that frame the event the way this one does
Analyzed 2026-09-21 · how these are computed

How this is being covered How these are calculated →

Article leaning vs. publisher reliability
Source leaning vs. consistency

Publisher

New York Post · 17225 article(s) · 36 correction(s) detected
Running correction rate · 36 correction(s)

Who wrote this

Erich Richter
90 article(s) here · 1 carrying a prediction
🔮 With it unknown whether Fagnano will be able to start for the Ravens, it’s desperation time for the Ravens.
🔮 The Bears might have just become a Super Bowl favorite.
🔮 Same as [Floyd] Mayweather fighting [Manny] Pacquiao later in his career.
🔮 The YouTuber-turned-boxer will return to boxing on Dec. 24 in Dubai and will face former Bellator contender Cedric Doumbé.
🔮 The Lions will likely be without Campbell going forward, but the real concern is for the star’s well-being as there has been no update that he has feeling in his extremities, as the NFL community waits for a positive update from the team.
🔮 A.J. Brown has a new, mysterious injury that may keep him out of this game after he missed practice Thursday and Friday.
🔮 The 0-6 Los Angeles Chargers come in as a 6.5-point underdog to the Rams, a number that I expected to get over a touchdown, but no one is taking the bait it seems.
🔮 The decision instantly backfired, as he went to reliever Kevin Kelly for the fifth inning with the hope that he could make quick work of the bottom of Milwaukee’s lineup, though the Brewers got three consecutive hits to extend their lead to 2-0.
🔮 Jake Paul’s return will coincide with the day before Santa Claus begins his route around the world.
🔮 The next best time to use the Bengals will be Week 18 against a solid Browns team.
Also by Erich Richter
Nothing else under this byline is closely related to this article, so these are simply their most recent.
All 90 articles by Erich Richter →

Topics

NFL New England Patriots Steelers the Super Bowl

Subjects

Maye PERSON · 6× Vrabel PERSON · 6× Patriots ORG · 5× New England ORG · 3× Drake Maye PERSON · 2× NFL ORG · 2× Simmons PERSON · 2× Steelers ORG · 2× Aaron Rodgers PERSON · 1× Mike Vrabel PERSON · 1×

Narrative

Usage of playmakers remains confusing from Vrabel, as Treyveon Henderson and Kyle Williams find themselves mostly on the bench despite another fumble from Rhamondre Stevenson and New England being desperate for a deep threat with Brown out.
framing: assertive · carried by 1 article(s) · first seen 2026-09-21
🔮 After a strange offseason in New England, Drake Maye doesn’t look like the same franchise quarterback who took the Patriots to the Super Bowl last year.

Claims (20 extracted, 2 hedged)

After a strange offseason in New England, Drake Maye doesn’t look like the same franchise quarterback who took the Patriots to the Super Bowl last year. asserted
who → look → Bowl
Maye threw for 208 yards and threw an interception against the Steelers on Sunday, in a 20-3 win fueled by one of the worst Aaron Rodgers games of his career. asserted
Maye → throw → career
“You’re not going to ruin my Sunday,” head coach Mike Vrabel fired at a reporter who asked about his level of concern for Maye’s play this year. asserted
who → go → play
I’ll come back to you tomorrow.” asserted
I → come → you
Though everyone seems to be asking the question even if Vrabel wants to dodge them. asserted
Vrabel → seem → them
He just has,” podcaster Bill Simmons said on his eponymous podcast. asserted
Simmons → have → podcast
Maye wasn’t great at the end of the year last year, with most people citing injury and playing while not fully healthy. asserted
people → cite → injury
Though this is looks much different from Maye. asserted
this → look → Maye
Maye has underthrown most of his deep balls this year, including a flea-flicker in Week 1 that would have been a sure-fire touchdown against the Seahawks. asserted
that → underthrown → Seahawks
A.J. Brown is out indefinitely with an ankle injury, which surely has not helped but it’s been two weeks of poor quarterback play for the Patriots. asserted
it → help → Patriots
Simmons added that the Patriots’ issues might have something to do with Vrabel’s off-the-field activities. uncertain
issues → add → activities
“Post-Sedona Mike Vrabel?” Simmons added, calling back to Vrabel’s apparent affair with national NFL reporter Dianna Russini. asserted
Simmons → add → Russini
“I wouldn’t say he’s as crisp. asserted
he → say → ?
There’s some clock management stuff that I’m like, ‘Oh, Vrabel doesn’t usually miss that stuff’.” asserted
Vrabel → ’ → stuff
Vrabel was forced to miss Day 3 of the NFL Draft to attend emergency marriage counseling with his wife, Jen, after Page Six released bombshell pictures of the coach canoodling with the NFL reporter. asserted
coach → force → reporter
Regardless of whose fault it is, the Patriots have a lot of work to do, as the offensive line lost important guard Mike Onwenu, who broke his ankle and is out indefinitely. asserted
who → have → ankle
The Steelers’ defensive line hit Maye seven times, including three sacks on Sunday. asserted
line → hit → Sunday
Usage of playmakers remains confusing from Vrabel, as Treyveon Henderson and Kyle Williams find themselves mostly on the bench despite another fumble from Rhamondre Stevenson and New England being desperate for a deep threat with Brown out. asserted
England → remain → Brown
The Patriots could easily be staring down a 1-3 start if they don’t right the ship. uncertain
they → star → ship
Next, New England faces the Jaguars, followed by the Bills in Week 4. asserted
England → face → Week
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