Going into Super Bowl 60, everyone knew that Drake Maye was dealing with some sort of shoulder injury stemming from the AFC Championship Game — we just didn't know how bad it was.
In all of his interactions with reporters over the past couple of weeks, Maye maintained that the shoulder felt "great" and he would be ready to go on Sunday. But it turns out that may not have been the case.
Speaking to the media on Monday, the QB even said: “I’m not trying to lie to you guys when I say I’m feeling great. I’m feeling great, and looking forward to getting out there today. Another day of practice, we got one tomorrow, and feeling pretty good.”
However, the latest reports out of Santa Clara appear to tell a different story.
© Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images.
Patriots QB Drake Maye received pain-killing injection prior to Super Bowl 60
According to Mark Daniels of MassLive.com, Maye admitted postgame that he needed to receive treatment on the shoulder ahead of last night's kickoff.
"Drake Maye said they had to shoot up his shoulder for tonight but wouldn’t say the injury limited him," Daniels reported.
Maye finished Super Bowl 60 27-of-43 for 295 yards with two touchdowns two picks and lost a fumble. But even if he was 100%, it's hard to imagine it would've been enough to beat this Seattle team the way they played on Sunday.
Maye gets emotional after Super Bowl loss
As painful as it must've been for Maye and the Patriots to come up with that kind of result in the big game, the 23-year-old didn't make any excuses and took complete ownership of his performance as he reflected on New England's season.
"I think it would be hard to say that [the shoulder limited me]. I was feeling good enough to be out there," Maye said. "I wouldn't put the team in harm's way to not be myself. Just didn't make plays tonight."
"This hurts. It definitely hurts. They played better than us tonight," the quarterback continued. "They deserved to win that game. For the whole team and myself, what a journey it's been for us. I love this team and those guys in the locker room. We left it all on the field and just came up short. We didn't play our best, and that's what happens. ... It's going to sting for a while, but that's what you sign up for."
Regardless of the outcome, Drake handled himself like a pro throughout. And the future is still plenty bright in Foxborough as long as he and Mike Vrabel are there.