Patriots’ Drake Maye flashes franchise QB future: ‘He has the aura’

Ben Arthur

NFL Reporter

Editor’s note: This is the ninth installment of a season-long series on a breakout star from the past week of NFL action. The Week 9 winner: New England Patriots quarterback Drake Maye.

During Drake Maye’s miraculous moment, Hunter Henry watched like a fan.

The veteran tight end was on the field when the ball was snapped. It’s just that he was shoved out of bounds when breaking back toward the middle of the end zone in the scramble drill, knocking him out of the play.

That’s when Henry saw his quarterback zig and zag in the backfield, evading defenders as he scanned the end zone for a receiver with a sliver of separation. And Henry saw the rookie get enough arm on a pass to running back Rhamondre Stevenson as three Titans brought the QB down. The last-second touchdown forced overtime, stunning the Nashville crowd.

“I honestly got a front row seat to it,” Henry said postgame, “and it was pretty special.”

Like what Maye is becoming.

Despite three turnovers, including the game-sealing interception, the No. 3 overall pick showed legitimate franchise quarterback potential in the Patriots’ 20-17 overtime loss to Tennessee on Sunday. Maye completed a season-high 70.7% of his passes for 206 yards and the improbable touchdown, during which he scrambled for 11.82 seconds before finding Stevenson in the end zone — the second-longest time to throw a touchdown pass in at least eight years, according to Next Gen Stats.

Maye also had eight carries for a season-high 95 rushing yards, the third-most by a Patriots quarterback ever, trailing only Steve Grogan (103 vs. the Jets in 1976) and Babe Parilli (96 vs. the Oilers in 1964), according to FOX Sports Research.

The first-round pick became the first New England rookie quarterback to have seven or more passing and rushing touchdowns after his first four career starts.

Entering Week 10, he has a 65.6% completion rate for 770 yards and six touchdowns with four interceptions and an 85.1 passer rating, plus 21 rushing attempts for 209 yards and another score.

“We already knew it, but I think the obvious thing is just his mental toughness and ability to really change the page and being a resilient player,” Patriots coach Jerod Mayo said. “And that’s a great quality to have in a quarterback.”

The backup to Jacoby Brissett the first five weeks of the season, Maye has brought a much-needed jolt to the Patriots offense since being named QB1. New England is averaging more points, first downs, passing yards and total yards per game with Maye than it did with Brissett.

Sitting in last place in the AFC East, the Patriots (2-7) don’t appear to be going anywhere this season. But Maye’s flashes bring optimism for the future if the franchise gets the right supporting cast around him.

“He gives us a lot of potential to grow. I think that’s the greatest thing about Drake,” Patriots wide receiver Kendrick Bourne said. “He’s doing things that you don’t really see at a young age. So, I’m very excited and I want to be better for him. I think everybody understands in our offensive room that we have something in him that can make everybody better. … He has the aura to him. You just know that he’s going to go out there and do his thing. He’s going to play.

“He’s not scared, and that’s somebody you want to follow.”

Why Maye was successful in Week 9

He took what was in front of him.

Tennessee’s pass rush made it difficult for Maye to find the time to push the ball down the field — the Titans had 28 pressures, according to Pro Football Focus — but he was efficient on the available short and intermediate throws, which represented more than 68% of his passes. He had an 89.2% completion rate (25-of-28) for 153 yards and a touchdown on throws up to 10 air yards, including 8-of-8 for 25 yards on screens, per PFF.

When Maye did have enough time in the pocket, he was able to identify gaps in the Titans’ four-man rush that he could exploit by scrambling (all while keeping his eyes downfield).

With his mobile 6-foot-4, 225-pound frame, Maye picked up at least 10 yards on five of his eight rushing attempts.

“They’re dropping out guys and you know there’s some rush lanes up front,” Maye explained. “I’m going to make them pay and that’s my mindset.”

Mark Schlereth and Jason Benetti recap Drake Maye’s performance

He has plenty to work on, though.

Maye didn’t give the Patriots a chance in overtime, throwing downfield to a double-covered Kayshon Boutte on first-and-10. The pass was picked off by Titans safety Amani Hooker, ending the game.

It capped a day in which Maye had three giveaways — his second three-turnover game in four starts.

“That’s one thing if you want to go back to a characteristic, he learns from his mistakes,” Mayo said, “and he’ll be better for it.”

That makes his future bright.

Ben Arthur is an NFL reporter for FOX Sports. He previously worked for The Tennessean/USA TODAY Network, where he was the Titans beat writer for a year and a half. He covered the Seattle Seahawks for SeattlePI.com for three seasons (2018-20) prior to moving to Tennessee. You can follow Ben on Twitter at @benyarthur.

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