Bills’ DC Jim Leonhard: Drake Maye ‘going through some stuff’ as Patriots head to Buffalo

# What Leonhard said and why it matters

Bills defensive coordinator Jim Leonhard told reporters that Drake Maye looks like a player "going through some stuff" and "struggling a little bit." Leonhard contrasted Maye's current play with the quarterback's 2025 campaign, when Maye finished as the NFL MVP runner-up after a season with high efficiency and big-play production.

Leonhard's comments are tactical as well as observational. He noted that Maye still can create explosive plays, but that the Bills want to apply pressure and hope the negative trend continues through their Week 4 matchup in Buffalo.

# The statistical drop

Comparing Maye's 2025 regular season to his start in 2026 shows a notable decline in surface metrics available after three games in 2026:

• 2025: Completed 72% of passes for 4,394 yards, 31 touchdowns and 8 interceptions.
• 2026 (through three games): Completed 63.8% for 585 yards, 1 touchdown, 6 interceptions and 1 lost fumble.

Those turnovers and the dip in efficiency are the primary reasons opposing coordinators and media are labeling his start as a regression.

# Maye now

• Apply consistent pressure to test Maye's decision-making.
• Use edge rushers like Greg Rousseau, who has six sacks in the first three games, as matchups to force hurried throws or mistakes.

Leonhard expects great players to come out the other side of a slump, but his hope for Buffalo is that the timing favors them — that Maye's recovery occurs after this week's meeting.

# Patriots' compounding problems

Buffalo isn't the only challenge. The Patriots' offense is facing multiple issues that increase the pressure on Maye:

• A banged-up receiving corps limiting consistent coverage relief and downfield options.
• A struggling run game that reduces play-action effectiveness and makes the offense more one-dimensional.
• Maye's own uncharacteristic decision-making and weaker throws, which have translated into turnovers and fewer sustained drives.

Those factors force Maye into higher-leverage situations where mistakes are costlier.

# Maye's view of Buffalo's defense

Maye acknowledged differences in Buffalo's defense under Leonhard compared with the long tenure of Sean McDermott. He said the Bills are mixing structural concepts with personnel-based variations and that Leonhard's unit wants to make offenses "earn it," while testing teams to get them out of their preferred plays.

The comments about Maye's current struggles come after an uneven run of performances in the early 2026 season. Last year's body of work — an MVP-caliber regular season — remains the baseline for expectations. Maye has also shown he can respond in the right circumstances: he used his legs effectively in last season's AFC title game win in Denver and completed 22-of-30 for 273 yards with no turnovers in a Week 5 primetime win over Buffalo last season.

For Buffalo, the task is straightforward: pressure the quarterback, leverage a productive pass rush, and test a Patriots offense that is missing weapons and rhythm. For New England, the immediate priorities are limiting turnovers, finding consistent receiving targets, and re-establishing a viable run game to take heat off Maye.