Drake Maye, Patriots Must Navigate Historically Tough Defenses To Make Super Bowl

For all the talk regarding the New England Patriots’ strength of schedule, Drake Maye has faced one of the hardest playoff paths imaginable.

New England began the postseason with a 16-3 win over the Los Angeles Chargers, who ended the regular season ranked fifth in total defense. The Patriots then knocked out the Houston Texans’ top-rated defense in a 28-16 victory on Sunday.

Bo Nix’s absence has made the Patriots early 5.5-point road favorites to beat the Denver Broncos in the AFC Championship Game. However, things won’t get much easier for Maye and New England’s offense this weekend.

Another elite defense is blocking New England’s path to Santa Clara. Denver closed the season second behind Houston with 278.2 yards allowed per game.

Maye would make history by taking the Patriots to the Super Bowl. NFL researcher Dante Koplowitz-Fleming noted that no quarterback has ever led his team to wins over three top-five defenses in the same postseason.

The Patriots played only one top-five defense during the regular season. Maye steered New England to a 32-13 win over the then top-rated Cleveland Browns with 282 passing yards and three touchdowns.

Maye hasn’t played up to his MVP form this postseason, completing 33 of 56 passes for 447 yards, four touchdowns and two interceptions in two wins. He’s also taken 10 sacks and fumbled an alarming six times, losing two of four in Sunday’s AFC Divisional Round game.

Mike Vrabel will hope Maye exhibits better ball security against the Broncos, who forced four Josh Allen turnovers in an overtime win over the Buffalo Bills. Yet despite his playoff struggles against elite competition, Maye still has a healthy 93.4 quarterback rating with 8.0 yards per attempt.