After a rough first three games of the 2026 season, in which Drake Maye turned the ball over seven times, the New England Patriots’ quarterback has now delivered back-to-back resurgent performances, resembling the MVP runner-up form he showcased last season.
On Sunday, Maye and the Patriots handily defeated the Las Vegas Raiders, 45-17, returning home to Foxboro following a two-game road trip. The third-year signal-caller finished just six yards shy of his career total in passing yards, throwing for
374 yards and four touchdowns while adding a fifth score using his legs.
Setting the tone early, New England’s opening drive ended with Maye capitalizing on a Raiders’ busted coverage to find DeMario Douglas wide open for a 35-yard touchdown pass. With stout protection, Maye, standing poised in the pocket, delivered the deep attempt to cap off a five-play, 79-yard scoring drive, giving the Patriots an early 7-0 lead.
“I’m going to come in at every game and week and attack it. I’m confident in myself, my abilities and the guys around me — and part of it is the first touchdown to [Douglas],” Maye said. “I had all day back there [in the pocket], and those are things I’m working on, when I have time, just to sit in there and find somebody open.”
Through New England’s three initial matchups, the offense managed just two offensive touchdowns. On Sunday, it recorded five completions of 20 yards or more, following three against the Buffalo Bills last week.
Maye’s rediscovered poise was a key factor in that downfield production, leading the Patriots to four scoring drives in under three minutes that totaled 24 points.
“We need to hit [those plays] when we get the chance to, and we hit most of them today,” Maye said. “We still had some [plays] where we could have had even more explosives. I’m proud of the guys for executing when we got the chance. I thought everybody was making plays.”
Opening the second half, Maye found another downfield target from 34 yards out, connecting with second-year receiver Kyle Williams down the left sideline, extending the Patriots’ lead to 28-7.
“I felt like [Maye] was in control,” head coach Mike Vrabel said. “We always talk about when we have clean pockets and his ability to transfer up into really good pockets [where] we’re going to gain yards. Being able to recognize man or zone [coverage], or where he wants to go with the football, and the timing of it.”
Linebacker and defensive captain Robert Spillane credited the offense’s explosive plays for taking some stress off of the defense. In turn, New England’s defensive unit held Las Vegas to 17 points and forced the visiting offense into a third-quarter fumble.
That dynamic was absent two weeks ago against the Jacksonville Jaguars. After two first-half turnovers, the Patriots, trailing 14-3, had a chance to make the deficit a one-score game with an Andy Borregales field goal; however, New England’s kicker missed, and after the offense failed to capitalize on the defense’s first-half efforts, the Jaguars scored three consecutive touchdowns in the second half.
But the past two weeks have been different, as the Patriots have scored a combined 79 points over that duration.
“It’s just fun to see Drake smiling big on the sidelines,” Spillane said. “That confidence is obviously back, and just watching him lead and push the ball down the field was fun.”
While Maye reiterated his confidence in himself entering every game to make plays, as he said after the Jacksonville loss, his performance in Buffalo marked a turning point.
