New England Patriots quarterback Drake Maye revealed he received a pain-killing injection on his injured throwing shoulder before the team's 29-13 loss to the Seattle Seahawks in Super Bowl 60.
Maye threw two touchdown passes in the fourth quarter with the game all but gone, and was sacked six times, had one of two interceptions returned for a touchdown and lost a fumble in a nightmare Super Bowl bow for the 23-year-old.
In the aftermath of their AFC Championship win over the Denver Broncos, in which Maye landed on his right shoulder on a run late in the third quarter, the Patriots quarterback had been limited in one practice and then held out of another during Super Bowl week.
"I shot it up, so not much feeling," Maye said of his shoulder. "It was good to go, and it felt all right."
Asked whether he felt the injury limited him at all, as he went 27 of 43 for 295 yards in New England's humbling defeat, Maye added: "I think it would be hard to say that.
"I was feeling good enough to be out there. I wouldn't put the team in harm's way to not be myself. I just didn't make plays tonight."
The Patriots fell into a 12-0 half-time hole as they punted on eight of their first nine drives, with the 51 total yards gained by the team the fewest in a first half in the last 35 Super Bowls.
Maye also became first player to be sacked three times on the first four drives of a Super Bowl since Tom Brady in Super Bowl 42 against the New York Giants.
"It definitely hurts," an emotional Maye told reporters afterwards. "They played better than us tonight.
"Family travel all this way to watch us play. Don't ruin their night, because it sucks and it hurts.
"What would I like to have back? I'd like to go back to the beginning and redo it. There are so many plays that can decide and change a game - numerous plays in the first half where I feel like I could have made a better throw or a better decision.
"It really comes down to who makes the throws and who didn't, and they made the plays tonight."
Maye added: "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."
NFL Coach of the Year Mike Vrabel, meanwhile, took a big-picture view of the season, which saw him lead a turnaround from a 4-13 season in 2024 to a 14-3 record and surprise appearance in the Super Bowl.
"I'm proud of everything that they did. I'm disappointed, just like they are," Vrabel said. "I reminded them that we're 307 days into what hopefully is a long, successful relationship and program.
"And it's okay to be disappointed. We have to be disappointed and upset together.
"Like I always do, I tell them I'm appreciative of them, I'm thankful. I'm grateful that I get to coach them.
"Just like every year, somebody is going to lose this game. We have to remember what it feels like and make sure that it's not repeated."
