Drake Maye is coming off a rough outing in the Patriots’ season opener, but Patrick Queen isn’t about to doubt him. After tossing three interceptions and averaging 5.4 yards per attempt, it would be easy to forget he was in the running for league MVP a year ago. While he didn’t see the results he wanted last week, though, Queen sees it as part of his strength.
“I think he’s a confident kid. He can make any throw on the field”, Queen said of Maye, via the Steelers’ website. You see he uses his legs a lot more. We always joke about it that usually quarterbacks like that don’t really get the perception that they’re fast, but he can fly. You can see the confidence growing every single game. The throws that he’s taking chances on, it’s just something that you see in a vet”.
The third-overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft, Drake Maye nearly led the Patriots to a Super Bowl title last season. During the year, he went 354-for-492 with 4,392 passing yards, 31 touchdowns, and 8 interceptions. To Queen’s point, he also rushed for 450 yards and 4 touchdowns. He also did well in the playoffs—until he didn’t, throwing two interceptions in the Super Bowl, turning the ball over eight times in total over New England’s four-game run. His risk-taking evidently continues to be a theme, Maye still searching for a balance between playmaking and risk-taking.
Against the Steelers last year, the Patriots turned the ball over five times, Drake Maye responsible for three of them. Pittsburgh still struggled to pull out the win, registering the game-winning score in the final minutes. In other words, they needed those takeaways. Will they need them again on Sunday?
And will that be on the minds of Maye and the Patriots? “Yeah, but it’s a new year”, Queen said of last year’s turnovers. “I think it just gets flushed out right after that. You always look at the film and analyze it and learn from it and grow and move on. That’s what I’m expecting to have done, and we’ve got to go out there and do it again”.
The Steelers certainly relied on their turnovers for their Week 1 20-13 win over the Falcons, which included a pick-six by T.J. Watt. Turnover differential is big for every team, of course, but Pittsburgh has relied on a conservative, ball-protecting offense and an opportunistic defense. And a Drake Maye that isn’t make mistakes is somebody to worry about.
Regardless of his showing the week before, Patrick Queen certainly isn’t taking for granted that the Steelers will have the same success against Maye this week. At the very least, they will have to create their own success against the young but talented quarterback. And in the process, they may have to deal him a blow to his confidence.