Drake Maye Report Card: How Patriots QB Graded In Overtime Loss

The Patriots found him.

New England has it’s franchise quarterback, if it wasn’t already known after Drake Maye’s first three starts. There’s a very good chance Patriots fans will point to Maye’s performance against the Tennessee Titans, one filled with remarkably high highs and a few costly lows (three turnovers), as the moment they knew Maye was for real.

The third overall pick was far and away the best player for the Patriots. But unfortunately for Maye, New England failed to produce around him and it paved the way to a 20-17 overtime loss to the lowly Titans.

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Here’s how Maye graded in the loss:

HIGH MARKS
Ground gains
Maye scrambled and turned nothing plays into positive ones. He finished with eight rushing attempts for 95 yards (!) for a 12-yard-per-carry average. Maye picked up 13 yards on New England’s first scoring drive and had a 22-yard carry on the team’s first touchdown drive. The North Carolina product was known as a dual-threat signal-caller, but Maye’s ground gains were something those in New England haven’t seen in recent memory. Cam Newton never recorded such an output during his one season with the Patriots. Tom Brady and Mac Jones certainly didn’t. Maye received little help on the ground from Patriots running backs as Rhamondre Stevenson, JaMycal Hasty and Antonio Gibson combined for 12 carries for 15 yards. Twelve carries for 15 yards!

Off-script success
Maye’s scrambles accounted for New England’s best off-script plays, but the rookie did so with his arm as well. Did you see his game-tying touchdown to Rhamondre Stevenson?! Maye kept the play alive for 12 seconds — right to left, backward to forward — before he lofted one to Stevenson with no time left on the clock. Those heroics sent the game to overtime. And then there was Maye’s third-and-1 shovel pass to Stevenson, which helped the Patriots reset the chains on their first scoring drive. He made countless other throws on the move, too. The play is never dead with Maye behind center.

Elevating the offense
Maye makes everyone around him better and Patriots players like Kendrick Bourne know it. He completed 29 of his 41 passes for 206 yards with tight end Hunter Henry (seven catches, 56 yards) and Bourne (four catches, 41 yards) leading the pass-catching group. His perfectly-placed throw to DeMario Douglas, who toe-tapped to stay in bounds, isn’t something every quarterback can do. It was the highlight of the passing game Sunday. An improved cast of characters around Maye will make a big difference, but for now the Patriots can rest easy knowing they have someone behind center who makes everyone better.

LOW MARKS
Rookie mistakes
Maye shouldered the blame for his three turnovers (two interceptions), including the game-sealing pick in overtime. He called it a “dumb decision.” The 22-year-old made a few rookie mistakes, to be sure. Maye threw his first interception on the first play of the second quarter after he felt the pressure. It was a bad throw intended for wide receiver Ja’Lynn Polk, but also questionable spacing by the pass-catchers. Maye also put the Patriots in a third-and-21 situation after he threw a checkdown to Hasty on a play he should’ve thrown in the dirt. He was strip-sacked after Vederian Lowe was beat around the edge. And his game-ending interception was a case of him trying to make a play that wasn’t there. But those mistakes are bound to happen for a quarterback making his fourth career start.

Asking too much of him
This isn’t a strike against Maye. This is on the Patriots. It’s clear New England has put way too much on the rookie. The Patriots receiver room failed to compile more than 100 yards combine. The running game, again, finished with 12 carries for 15 yards. It’s unfair to Maye, but it’s not his fault.

GRADE: B+

Previous Drake Maye grades: Week 6, Week 7