The New England Patriots are heading back to Foxborough with a win over the Miami Dolphins in hand, improving to 3-0 against their division and 5-3 overall this season. The game saw some standout performances on both sides of the ball and some solid overall football being played, mostly in the second half.
Who gets the Pats Pulpit game ball from the 24-19 victory, though? According to the community, it’s none other than the team’s starting quarterback himself.
Patriots game ball: QB Drake Maye
Community quote: “Given the lack of skill
player starters, Drake was absolutely fantastic.” — Rocky Coast
Garnering 53.7% of the vote, the Patriots’ starting quarterback took home game ball honors this week. It’s his third out of five possible awards so far this season after he also was recognized by the community for his performance in Week 4 against the Bills and Week 5 versus the Raiders.
While there were some robust challengers — more on those in a second — Maye being the game ball recipient of the week comes as no surprise either. The third-year passer, after all, was magnificent while leading his team on a come-from-behind win in Miami. In the second half alone, he went 9-for-10 for 146 yards with two deep passing touchdowns to Kyle Williams and DeMario Douglas from 43 and 48 yards out, respectively. He also scored himself when he made a nifty move on a zone read to take the ball into the end zone from two yards out.
On the day, he completed 16 of 20 pass attempts (80.0%) for 199 yards and those two touchdowns. He did only have eight rushing yards on five carries, but with the aforementioned touchdown part of the equation still finished in the 90th percentile for expected points added per play (+0.42). He also finished in the 93rd percentile in completion percentage above expectation (+14.0).
In a way, it was a typical day in the office for New England’s QB1. However, he also was very good considering the circumstances and challenging elements.
Maye was not the only player getting some love by the community, though. Running back Rhamondre Stevenson finished second in the fan vote (28.5%) after gaining 82 yards on 19 carries, and touching the ball four straight times — one onside kick recovery, one reception, two carries — to ice the game. Defensive tackle Cory Durden finished third (10.7%) after registering the first 1.5 sacks of his career and being a problem along the interior defensive line all game long.
Through eight weeks and five Patriots wins, the Pats Pulpit game ball winners are Drake Maye three times (Week 4, Week 5, Week 8) as well as Christian Gonzalez (Week 2) and the offensive line (Week 6) once each.
