This past Sunday was arguably one of the biggest regular season wins in recent memory for the New England Patriots. Not only did it put them “back in the race,” according to head coach Mike Vrabel, but the uneasiness surrounding the team’s offense and quarterback Drake Maye in particular has finally subsided for the time being.
Let’s dive into the statistics that resulted in this much-needed bounce-back win over the Buffalo Bills.
Drake Maye’s resurgence
Without a doubt, Maye’s much-improved play in Week 4 was the key to
the Patriots’ win at the brand-new Highmark Stadium. While still not perfect, the increased confidence, sharper decision-making, and better ball placement was all on display for last year’s MVP runner-up.
From Week 4, of all quarterbacks who logged as many plays as Maye, the Patriots’ third-year QB ranked second in expected points added at 0.33. To put this in perspective, over the first three games, Maye had the fourth-worst EPA in the NFL, at -0.07. The only quarterbacks with a worse EPA up to that point were Justin Herbert, Aaron Rodgers, and Baker Mayfield, whose teams were a combined 2-7 through the first three weeks.
To boil it down even deeper, Maye’s rushing has been prominent this season, and he proves every week that it is one of his greatest qualities.
He was the lead rusher for New England in this game with eight carries for 54 yards and added 0.87 expected points per rushing attempt. For comparison, Rhamondre Stevenson had -0.01 and TreVeyon Henderson -0.14.
The Bills seemingly had no answer for it, allowing Maye to pick up three first downs with his legs, including a 26-yard rush where he nearly reached the end zone. The numbers are even more impressive when you zoom out. Among quarterbacks, Maye ranks first in scramble yards with 127, on just 13 runs, which ranks 26th. His running ability has always been a dangerous part of his gam and so far, the opposition is yet to limit it, leading to numerous extended drives off of broken plays.
One-dimensional Josh Allen
Unlike Maye’s explosive rushing, Bills quarterback Josh Allen didn’t see nearly as much success as he’s used to on the ground. Allen, who won league MVP back in 2024, had his scrambling disabled by the Patriots’ defense.
Through the first three games of the year, he rushed for 114 yards, and got into the end zone twice in each game. This past Sunday was the first game of the year he didn’t score with his legs multiple times, and didn’t have double-digit rushing yards. In five carries, Allen gained a measly 4 yards. This was his lowest amount in a game since November 20, 2024 against the Titans, where he had just 1 yard.
Of course, Allen still has incredible arm talent and can make any throw he wants at any time. But to keep a great rusher like him in the backfield makes it much easier to defend him, since he is also prone to costly mistakes here and there. It’s safe to say the New England defense made the Bills’ superstar impatient, similar to Drake Maye in the beginning of the season.
On what ended up being his last throw of the day, Allen soared a ball to Joshua Palmer that was intercepted by Craig Woodson. Buffalo had all three timeouts and 1:14 still left on the clock at their own 40-yard line. The ball traveled 41 yards through the air, marking his longest pass of the game. What allows Allen to be so dominant is his dual-threat abilities, and the Patriots took that away, leading to the win against their division rivals.
As gloomy as it was looking for New England, it is now two years in a row that they put themselves on the map with a win against an undefeated Bills team. With a considerably better performance from their quarterback, hope has seemingly been restored within the Patriots fanbase as the team heads back home to take on the Las Vegas Raiders in Week 5.
