It was evident by the pained look that occasionally flashed across his expressive face as he took to the postgame podium and rehashed a medley of Patriots second-half mistakes -- including a couple-to-a-few in which he was the main culprit.
And that ache of defeat, and the opportunity lost, was evident in his words.
"I think when you lose it's tough to think about the positives,'' said Maye, who finished 22 of 36 for 261 yards with two touchdowns, but turned the ball over twice with an interception and an ill-fated backward pass that led directly to a Bills touchdown. "It's so frustrating. I've got to hold myself from some anger. At some point it turns from disappointment to frustration."
Disappointment and frustration are understandable, because halfway through the game, the Patriots had real hope. The first 30 minutes were arguably the most complete prolonged stretch of football the Patriots have played all season. They have not played better at any point than they did in the first quarter, when they took a stunning 14-0 lead with two prolonged drives against the Bills, who entered as a 14½-point favorite.
After Antonio Gibson (excellent signing, Eliot Wolf) returned the opening kickoff 42 yards, the Patriots needed six plays and just 2 minutes 59 seconds to put the ball in the end zone.
And how did it get there? With a gorgeous throw by Maye, who dropped the ball into Kayshon Boutte's hands down the right sideline for a 28-yard touchdown pass. It was reminiscent of a throw he made to Kendrick Bourne in the loss to the Cardinals' last week. This one may have been even more aesthetically pleasing.
The second touchdown came courtesy of a 14-yard Rhamondre Stevenson run on their second possession. But it was made possible by two crucial third-down conversions -- a Maye scramble-and-spin for 10 yards on third and 9 at the Bills 45, and then a quick strike to tight end Hunter Henry for 12 yards on a third and 8 at the Bills 33.
How dominant were the Patriots early? At the end of the first quarter, the Patriots had outgained the Bills, 127-11. Maye had 79 passing yards and a touchdown. Bills quarterback and MVP front-runner Josh Allen had one completion for 5 yards.
The first half was an enticing glimpse at what the next winning Patriots team might look like. But even with a 14-7 lead at halftime, most Patriots fans probably had a similar thought:
That was great. The Patriots are being a pain in the neck against an excellent team. That counts as progress. I wish I could talk myself into believing they will sustain it in the second half.
Well, the skeptical instinct, if you had it, was correct. The Patriots let their opportunity slip, in part -- OK, in large part -- because of mishaps by Maye.
The first big one: With 1:58 left in the third quarter and the score tied at 14 after James Cook's second touchdown, the Patriots had a first down on the Bills 16. But Maye's pass, intended for tight end Austin Hooper, was picked off by Bills defensive back Cam Lewis. Hooper had slipped, but he appeared to be running a different route than Maye had anticipated. Given the field position, the mistake -- which marked Maye's seventh straight game with an interception -- probably cost the Patriots points.
The second big one? That was the gut punch, a blunt-force "thwack" back to reality, the blunder that in essence cost the Patriots the game. On second and 8 at their own 12 with just over 10 minutes left in the fourth, Maye threw a backward pass to Rhamondre Stevenson, who got popped as the ball arrived and could not hold on. The Bills' Taron Johnson recovered in the end zone for a 24-14 lead.
There were three obvious questions after that play: Why call the play at all, in that spot on the field? Why have Stevenson, who had committed his seventh fumble earlier in the game, as the receiver? And why did Maye throw it at all?
"We've run that play all season,'' said Maye. "I've got to get back and maybe try to make it forward, but tough play on [Stevenson] to catch it and get blown up, so I've either got to throw it at somebody's feet or do something different."
Maye's myriad attributes on the field (an excellent fastball with deft passing touch, uncommon poise, niftier running than any Patriots quarterback since Steve Grogan) and off (his accountability and authentic positivity, even as he must constantly elevate the limited-at-best talent around him) has Patriots fans rightfully convinced that a franchise quarterback has been found.
But it's a grind, even for a rookie and maybe especially for a rookie quarterback, to play for a 3-12 team, or to go 2-8 in your first 10 starts. And so it was fascinating to watch him after Sunday's loss navigate that disappointment and frustration in real time at the podium, while also sticking up for Mayo ("I think it's some B.S., to be quite honest,'' said Maye regarding talk about his coach's job security) and never blaming anyone but himself.
True to his nature, he even found some positivity to take back to Foxborough with him.
"The big thing is it's a tough environment here, basically a night game, basically a prime-time game in Buffalo, against an MVP candidate and ... a team that's going to be in the playoffs,'' said Maye.
"It's a sneak peek, hopefully, into some meaningful games."
For a quarter, and then a half, this looked like it might be one. Then the Bills, and reality, caught up, which is the sort of thing that happens to bad teams.