Through the first month of the regular season, New England Patriots quarterback Drake Maye was playing like a top-10 QB to start his sophomore season. For anyone that may have not been paying attention,
Maye put them on notice Sunday night.
Playing in his first career primetime game and squaring off against the Super Bowl hopeful Buffalo Bills, Maye out-dueled reigning NFL MVP Josh Allen in a 23-20 upset win.
After a bit of a slower start that included working himself into pressure, Maye settled down and took over the game in the second half going 14-of-15 for 188 yards. That included several high level plays in which he put the offense on his back going off-script on multiple occasions — often working to his right which led to a 30-yard highlight to Stefon Diggs, who adjusted well to his quarterback in a scramble drill —to help him pile up a career-high four big-time throws.
But even inside the pocket, Maye operated the drop back passing game at a high-level with big time layered throws over the middle of the field to Hunter Henry.
But as Maye protected the football (zero turnover-worthy plays) and posted the second-highest adjusted completion percentage in a game of his career (88.9 percent), he still found himself in a tie game taking the field with 2:12 remaining.
On a national stage, Maye was starring down the barrel of his first-career game-winning drive — one that would firmly put him and Mike Vrabel’s Patriots on the national map.
“You know, where else would you rather be? Sunday Night Football, a chance to beat the Bills at there place, and the ball in my hands with a field goal to win it,” Maye said on WEEI Afternoons. “I think that’s what you work in training camp and all those two-minute drills for… So I think that felt good, and we got to go back out there, regroup, and get back after it.”
The drive appeared ready to start by going backwards as a Bills defender broke free through the line of scrimmage as Maye worked to his right. But, the quarterback’s athleticism and play strength took over allowing him to stay up just enough with a stiff arm in order to get the ball to Stefon Diggs for a 12-yard gain.
“Oh my gosh, oh my gosh,” Mike Vrabel recalled his feelings in the moment. “It was an 8-yard loss to a 12-yard gain. He’s continuing to grow and gain confidence, and show us, show everybody, show his team and himself the ability to operate in the pocket, ability to operate in scheduled, move the pocket plays and then also off-schedule.”
Following a one-yard rush, Maye struck again through the air with another high-level throw. With pressure getting home on a stunt to his left, he stands in the pocket and delivers a perfectly placed cover-two hole shot to Kayshon Boutte down the right sideline for 19 yards — moving New England across midfield.
While the two highlights set New England in position to attempt the game-winning field goal, Maye’s third-down decision was then a key play to help set-up a victory. Rolling to his right away from pressure on third-and-5, the 23-year old takes a zero-yard sack instead of attempting a tight window throw or a throwaway.
As a result, the clock ticks all the way down to 15 seconds as Andy Borregales knocks through a 52-yard game-winning field goal.
“The third down play, we’re trying to catch one out of there to the flat and see if we can’t get somebody to break free out there,” Vrabel explained. “We’ve been talking about not throwing that ball away in that particular situation, unless it was to lose yardage. He made a great decision to not lose yardage, but also keep the clock going. I think that those, situationally, is where he’s starting to improve.”
With five games and now a signature win under his belt, Maye ranks sixth in expected points added per drop-back (+0.29) and third in completion percentage over expected (+9.6) all while cutting down the turnovers with the ninth-best turnover-worthy play rate (2.0 percent).
If the audience still hasn’t realized: Drake Maye has arrived and the Patriots have their guy.
