Drake Maye’s First Patriots Victory Product Of Leadership, Respect

The Patriots got back into the win column on Sunday, capturing their third victory of the season in a matchup with the Chicago Bears.

Drake Maye, as one might expect after securing the first win of his pro career, commanded the postgame headlines. It’s mostly about what he did off of the field, sending a message to his offense following what he perceived to be a less-than-acceptable effort during practice on Wednesday.

“I think, sometimes, you get into practice mode where you’re just running plays and not really tuned in and trying to execute specific plays. … ‘Hey, we’re running plays out here for just nothing,” Maye said of the overall message on Sunday, per team-provided video. “I just really tried to challenge those guys and challenge myself to take each play and know that when the game comes and this play’s called, it matters.

“There’s so many times throughout the game you see how much that play can impact the turnout of the game. I was just trying to get through to them, and I probably fumbled some words trying to do it, but I think those guys respected it.”

New England controlled things on both sides of the ball, with Maye leading the effort offensively by finding seven different receivers on the afternoon and contributing to a 144-yard effort on the ground that marks their best effort in five weeks.

Maye’s words earlier in the week, however, are clearly what resonated in the 19-3 verdict.

“Everybody loved it,” Patriots rookie wide receiver Ja’Lynn Polk said of Maye’s speech, per Andrew Callahan of the Boston Herald. “We need that. We need that from our starting quarterback. So, everybody loved it. Everybody wants to a certain standard on this team.”

Maye didn’t just raise the standard of his teammates, but he displayed the ability to rebound from mistakes and scale back his desire to play hero ball. The Bears looked prime to strike after intercepting the rookie quarterback at the end of the first quarter, but ultimately fell short in what proved to be their last opportunity to get back into the game.

Maye made a change, staying on schedule with his throws and avoiding any plays that might put the ball in harm’s way. He wasn’t scared, though, striking the balance between aggressive and reckless.

It’s what his team needed, and a perfect example of practicing what one preaches.

“When you go out there and perform at a high level, that’s the first step. The next step is to bring others with you,” Patriots head coach Jerod Mayo said postgame, per team-provided video. “I think (Maye is) on his way to doing that.”