Drake Maye will get his first taste of playoff football when the New England Patriots host the Los Angeles Chargers on Sunday night.
The Patriots will follow a 14-3 season with a home playoff game as AFC East champions and the No. 3 seed. On the heels of an MVP-caliber campaign, Maye will make his postseason debut in a primetime slot against Jim Harbaugh’s Chargers.
Maye discussed his feelings heading into the first-round matchup with reporters on Wednesday.
“There’s obviously a little bit of mixed emotions,” Maye said. “I think the biggest thing is excited. Excited for the opportunity to play home playoff games. That’s what you start at the beginning of the season of things you want to do here and goals you want to accomplish, and we got a chance and an opportunity right here to take advantage of playing in front a crowd that’s been great all year. A crowd that I expect to be loud.”
The Patriots haven’t had a home playoff game since losing to Mike Vrabel’s Tennessee Titans in Tom Brady’s final game with the organization six years ago. They haven’t won a playoff game since capturing the Super Bowl the prior year.
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Maye can snap those droughts when leading New England’s No. 3 offense into a battle against the No. 5-rated Chargers defense. The 23-year-old will have his hands full against Derwin James and Co., but he’s 4-0 with 1,216 passing yards in night games this season.
Sunday’s showdown between the Patriots and Chargers starts at 8 p.m. ET on NBC.
Featured image via David Butler II-Imagn Images
