Patriots' offense regresses with Drake Maye's second 3-interception game of the season

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. (AP) — Members of New England's 2016 Super Bowl-winning team reunited at Gillette Stadium on Sunday for Rob Gronkowski’s induction into the Patriots Hall of Fame.

The current Patriots could have used Gronkowski’s playmaking abilities against Green Bay. The defending AFC champions could also have benefited from having a quarterback who placed a premium on ball security. Alas, Tom Brady was calling the game from the Fox television booth.

From Drake Maye throwing three interceptions in a game for the second time this season, to Rhamondre Stevenson fumbling the ball on a four-turnover day for the Patriots, the signs of regression were everywhere in a 45-27 loss to the Packers.

“I wasn’t good today,” Maye said.

It's been an up-and-down season for Maye, who was named the AFC Offensive Player of the Month for October after a rough opening month. The 2025 MVP runner-up kicked off the season with a three-interception game against defending Super Bowl champion Seattle.

Maye now has 11 picks, tied with Justin Herbert of the winless Chargers for the most in the NFL.

Maye’s first interception came two plays into the first series of the game. The bad throw gave the Packers a short field, and they needed just two plays to cover 14 yards for a touchdown.

“You can’t put the team in the hole straight off the bat, first possession,” Maye said.

Green Bay made New England pay for the turnovers, scoring 21 points after takeaways. Coach Mike Vrabel said his team became predictable after the Packers took a 17-0 lead.

“It’s tough to spot good teams any sort of lead, and we’ve done that,” Vrabel said.

Once again, the Patriots were without their top two offseason acquisitions at wide receiver, A.J. Brown and Romeo Doubs. Running back TreVeyon Henderson remains sidelined indefinitely after revealing last week that he had spent several days in a hospital undergoing tests to determine the cause of unexplained neurological symptoms that have affected his strength and coordination.

Having a healthy complement of offensive options might solve some of the problems currently plaguing the Patriots. Taking care of the ball is another important area to shore up after Stevenson committed his second fumble of the season and the 19th of his career, 11 of which he lost. Stevenson left the game in the fourth quarter after suffering a knee injury.

“We’ve been through a lot, and we’ve got a lot of bumps and bruises. Got some big wins, got some bad losses. We’ve got to find a way to be consistent. Coach (Vrabel) preaches being consistent,” Maye said. “We won the AFC, played in the Super Bowl. Everybody’s coming after us, and we’ve got to respond.”

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New England Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel, left, talk with New England Patriots quarterback Drake Maye, right, during the second half of an NFL football game against the Green Bay Packers in Foxborough, Mass., Sunday, Nov. 8, 2026. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa)

New England Patriots quarterback Drake Maye (10) is sacked by Green Bay Packers linebacker Isaiah McDuffie (58) during the first half of an NFL football game in Foxborough, Mass., Sunday, Nov. 8, 2026. (AP Photo/Steven Senne)

New England Patriots quarterback Drake Maye (10) walks along the sideline during the second half of an NFL football game against the Green Bay Packers in Foxborough, Mass., Sunday, Nov. 8, 2026. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa)

DETROIT (AP) — Austin Reaves thought he had a very fortunate night against the Detroit Pistons.

He was the only one in the Los Angeles Lakers locker room who thought so.

On a night when the Lakers were playing without red-hot Luka Doncic, Reaves scored 43 points against one of the league's best defenses in a 121-116 win.

“I was a lucky basketball player tonight,” said Reaves, who went 14 of 27 from the floor, including 4 of 6 on 3-pointers, and added a perfect 11-for-11 from the free-throw line.

Walker Kessler, who finished with 12 points and 16 rebounds, disagreed with his teammate.

“Luka is an incredible player, and I think there are times when he's playing that A.R. kind of has to take a secondary role,” he said. "But you could see tonight that he's a very capable player.

“It doesn't matter if we get a Luka game or an A.R. game — we're still going to win.”

Reaves had big shoes to fill, as the Lakers needed him to step up in place of the league's hottest player. In his last four games, all Los Angeles wins, Donic was averaging 45 points, nine rebounds and eight assists.

That's a tough scoreline to match, but the 28-year-old came close. He had five rebounds and four assists in 36:41 with only one turnover.

“He’s a heck of a playmaker, a heck of a scorer, and a great competitor,” Kessler said. “It's just incredible to play alongside he and Luka, because they hit some really, really tough shots.”

He saved his toughest for last.

The Pistons trailed by 26 points in the second quarter but were only down 109-104 going into the final minute. The Lakers couldn't get into their offense, and Reaves ended up with the ball as the shot clock was about to expire.

He flipped up a one-legged, off-balance 3-pointer that went through the net to erase Detroit's last chance.

“That was a terrible shot.” he said. "When I stepped back to shoot, I thought it looked like one of those ridiculous shots that Luka makes. I didn't even try to make it, and then it went in.

“Now that looks like a good shot in the box score, but it was 100% lucky.”

Reaves quite often points to luck and good fortune when talking about himself, but that underrates the work he's put into just having an NBA career.

After playing two years at Wichita State and a year at Oklahoma, he declared for the 2021 draft. He went undrafted, but only because that's what he wanted. The Pistons, victims of his big night on Sunday, were planning to pick him with the 42nd pick, but he declined in order to sign as a free agent with the Lakers.

The Pistons ended up taking Isaiah Livers, who played 130 NBA games and is now playing in Japan.

Meanwhile, Reaves came into the game averaging 23.0 points per game during Doncic's four-game hot streak, then found another gear against the team he shunned.

“There's never a dull moment around here,” he joked. “The good thing is that I didn't play a perfect game tonight. There's always room to get better.”

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Detroit Pistons guard Cade Cunningham (2) defends against a shot by Los Angeles Lakers guard Austin Reaves (15) during the first half of an NBA basketball game Sunday, Nov. 8, 2026, in Detroit. (AP Photo/Duane Burleson)

Los Angeles Lakers guard Austin Reaves (15) takes a jump shot against Detroit Pistons guard Ausar Thompson (9) during the second half of an NBA basketball game Sunday, Nov. 8, 2026, in Detroit. (AP Photo/Duane Burleson)