Patriots QB Drake Maye 'ready to go' against Jaguars in London

LONDON (AP) — Patriots rookie quarterback Drake Maye deflected questions about his knee Friday and said he’s ready to make his second career start when New England faces the Jacksonville Jaguars at Wembley Stadium.

Maye, the No. 3 overall pick in this year’s NFL draft, said he's “feeling good” despite appearing on the injury report this week with a knee issue.

"These last two days felt good out there at practice, feeling good now and ready to go for Sunday,” Maye said at a news conference at the Harrow School.

Maye, a bright spot in New England's 41-21 loss to the Houston Texans last week, was a full participant both Wednesday and Thursday before the team departed for London. He also practiced Friday.

He declined to say when the knee issue arose: “Injuries are something that you don’t really try to share with the media, so looking forward to Sunday."

Patriots coach Jerod Mayo, when asked if his quarterback had an MRI, said he didn’t want to discuss medical issues.

“What I will say is I’m confident that he’ll be ready to play,” Mayo said.

Maye “looks good” and has been taking the majority of the first-team reps, the coach added.

In his first NFL start, Maye threw three touchdown passes, though he also had three turnovers as the Patriots (1-5) lost their fifth straight.

Running back Rhamondre Stevenson practiced for the first time since missing the Houston game because of a foot injury.

“I feeling like I should be ready to play on Sunday,” the fourth-year back said.

Stevenson, who has averaged 4.6 yards per carry through five games, will be a game-time decision, Mayo said.

His possible return would be a boost for an offense that wants to establish the run to keep pressure off Maye.

The Jaguars have been in London for a week — they were routed 35-16 by the Chicago Bears at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium — compared to New England's arrival Friday morning.

Mayo said he's not worried.

“A lot of those guys slept on the plane. They have an opportunity to get their energy up through the rest of the day,” he said.

His advice to players: “Don't sit in your room all day and go to sleep. Get outside and walk around.”

Team owner Robert Kraft spent time at practice chatting with players. He fist-bumped tight end Hunter Henry and talked with safety Joe Cardona and punter Bryce Baringer.

Kraft is among the 25 candidates in the contributor category for the 2025 Pro Football Hall of Fame class. The list was released this week.

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New England Patriots head coach Jerod Mayo speaks with media ahead of NFL football practice, Friday, Oct. 18, 2024, in Harrow, England. (AP Photo/Steve Luciano)

New England Patriots head coach Jerod Mayo speaks with media ahead of NFL football practice, Friday, Oct. 18, 2024, in Harrow, England. (AP Photo/Steve Luciano)

New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft walks on the field during NFL football practice, Friday, Oct. 18, 2024, in Harrow, England. (AP Photo/Steve Luciano)

New England Patriots running back Rhamondre Stevenson (38) takes part in drills during NFL football practice, Friday, Oct. 18, 2024, in Harrow, England. (AP Photo/Steve Luciano)

New England Patriots quarterback Drake Maye speaks with media ahead of NFL football practice, Friday, Oct. 18, 2024, in Harrow, England. (AP Photo/Steve Luciano)

New England Patriots quarterback Drake Maye (10) works out during NFL football practice, Friday, Oct. 18, 2024, in Harrow, England. (AP Photo/Steve Luciano)

New England Patriots quarterback Drake Maye (10) works out during NFL football practice, Friday, Oct. 18, 2024, in Harrow, England. (AP Photo/Steve Luciano)

New England Patriots quarterback Drake Maye (10) smiles during NFL football practice, Friday, Oct. 18, 2024, in Harrow, England. (AP Photo/Steve Luciano)

MEXICO CITY (AP) — Assailants fired a dozen gunshots at a building housing the newspaper El Debate in the embattled northern Mexico state of Sinaloa, the media outlet said Friday.

The newspaper is based in the state capital, Culiacan, where rival factions of the Sinaloa Cartel have been staging bloody battles.

The newspaper said it found at least four bullet impacts on the building’s walls, and more gunfire hit newspaper vehicles parked in front of the offices late Thursday. The paper said that no one was injured.

The Mexican Media Alliance, a press freedom group, called it “a direct attack against press freedom and right of the public to be informed.”

El Debate said that the assailants arrived in two vehicles and stopped briefly in front of the building. One gunman got out and opened fire with a rifle, before they sped off.

Threats against journalists and their sources have increased exponentially since the latest round of factional fighting broke out after two Sinaloa drug capos — one from each faction — flew to the United States and were arrested there.

Drug lords Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada and Joaquín Guzmán López were apprehended in the United States after flying there in a small plane on July 25.

Zambada later claimed he was kidnapped and forced aboard the plane by Guzmán López, causing a violent battle between Zambada’s faction and the “Chapitos” group led by the sons of imprisoned drug lord Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzmán.

Journalists have reported being stopped by gunmen on roadways outside Culiacan and told they couldn't cover the continuing gunbattles occurring on the outskirts of the city on an almost daily basis.

In 2017, Javier Valdez, an award-winning reporter who specialized in covering drug trafficking and organized crime, was slain in Sinaloa's state capital.

There is little doubt that the warring cartel factions in Sinaloa want to intimidate the media into not reporting on their battles, and that has forced local residents to turn largely to social media for reports on when it might be safe to go out, and where the danger is.

Those social media platforms were full on Friday of videos of burning vehicles, bodies and cartel convoys speeding through towns.

As usual, there was no confirmation of that from state authorities, who have consistently tried to downplay the violence. But the truth leaks out around the edges: Sinaloa State University told students that it was canceling in-person classes Friday because of “the acts of violence in and around the Sinaloa state capital.”

Those online videos sometimes depict scenes that could be compared to a war: two weeks ago in a town north of Culiacan, a passing driver filmed a military helicopter hovering over four gunmen in helmets and tactical vests just yards from a highway. The gunmen had crashed their truck into a telephone pole, but were shooting back at the chopper.

However, the online rumor mill is sometimes unreliable.

The Sinaloa Red Cross was forced to issue a statement late Thursday denying reports that two paramedics had been kidnapped along with their ambulance in an outlying town where fighting has been especially fierce.

But even the Red Cross was spooked — it was careful to say that “it is important to stress that the Mexican Red Cross is not taking any side in the conflict.”

State prosecutors were largely left hamstrung after the chief state prosecutor resigned after allegedly submitting false information about the July 25 killing of an opponent of the state's governor, Rubén Rocha.

And the entire municipal force in Culiacan has been temporarily disarmed by soldiers to check their guns, something that’s been done in the past when the army suspects that police officers are working for drug cartels.

President Claudia Sheinbaum limited her response to the shots fired at the newspaper to a few words.

“First, obviously, to condemn these acts, and investigations are being carried out," Sheinbaum said.

The state is governed by her Morena party, and she has strongly backed Rocha.

Follow AP’s coverage of Latin America and the Caribbean at https://apnews.com/hub/latin-america

National Guards patrol the streets in Culiacan, Sinaloa state, Mexico, Monday, Oct. 14, 2024. (AP Photo)