Sunday\u2019s performance highlighted a promising trend for the Patriots through five games:<\/p>\n
The passing game is back. Most notably, the downfield passing game.<\/p>\n
The Patriots of the last two seasons could barely throw the ball. Under Bill O\u2019Brien and Alex Van Pelt, and quarterbacks Mac Jones, Bailey Zappe, Jacoby Brissett, Joe Milton, and Maye, the Patriots ranked 31st in 2023 and 2024 in completions of 20-plus yards, and also in the bottom five in yards per attempt. Not surprisingly the Patriots scored the second-fewest offensive touchdowns over those two seasons as they went 8-26 and bored their fans to tears.<\/p>\n
But under new coordinator Josh McDaniels, Maye and the offense are pushing the ball downfield like the days of Tom Brady. After a slow start against the Raiders<\/a> and Dolphins<\/a>, Maye has improved significantly over the last three games to the point that:<\/p>\n \u22c5 Maye ranks No. 5 in the NFL in yards per attempt (8.24) and No. 2 in completion percentage (73.9), a lethal combination. Maye\u2019s yards per attempt are up from 6.73 last year, which ranked 27th.<\/p>\n \u22c5 Though he only has one completion of more than 40 yards, Maye has 16 of 20-plus, tied for sixth-most in the NFL. He\u2019s had nine in the past two weeks \u2014 five against Carolina and four against Buffalo. Maye is on pace for 54 such completions, compared with 34 in 2024. <\/p>\n \u22c5 On passes of 20-plus yards in the air, Maye is 7 for 9 for 205 yards and a 118.8 rating that ranks seventh-best.<\/p>\n \u22c5 And the advanced analytics love Maye. In the all-encompassing stat of Expected Points Added (think WAR in baseball), Maye ranks No. 6 for the season on a per-play basis, and No. 1 on passes over 20-plus air yards. Maye also ranks No. 4 in \u201ccompletion percentage over expected,\u201d meaning he\u2019s completing more passes than he \u201cshould\u201d be.<\/p>\n Only eight other times in Patriots history has a quarterback started a season better than Maye\u2019s 8.24 yards per attempt \u2014 Brady five times (2005, 2007, 2011, 2015, 2017), Drew Bledsoe twice (1998, 1999), and Steve Grogan (1980).<\/p>\n The 2021-22 Patriots with Mac Jones, McDaniels, and Matt Patricia had some measure of downfield passing success and weren\u2019t completely dysfunctional like the 2023-24 Patriots. But factor in Cam Newton\u2019s low-wattage 2020 season, and Brady\u2019s frustrating 2019, and it has been since the Super Bowl teams of 2016-18 that the Patriots have had this much success throwing the ball down the field.<\/p>\n Maye isn\u2019t doing this in a vacuum, either. Against the Bills, he hit big throws in big spots: 22 yards to Hunter Henry on second and 15 to get the Patriots in range for a field goal before halftime; 32 yards to Diggs to set up a touchdown in the third quarter; and 24 yards to Henry and 30 to Diggs in a span of three plays to set up another touchdown.<\/p>\n Against the Panthers, Maye hit Diggs for 22 yards to convert third and 15. And against the Steelers, Maye converted third and 10 and third and 13 with completions of 20-plus yards to Rhamondre Stevenson and Kayshon Boutte.<\/p>\n Most impressively, Maye is doing it in all kinds of ways \u2014 in the pocket, outside the pocket, on the run, against the blitz, and against disguised coverages. And on Sunday night in Buffalo, Maye proved that he can do it on the road in a tough environment against a great team.<\/p>\n \u201cHe\u2019s continuing to grow and gain confidence, and show us, show everybody, show his team and himself the ability to operate in the pocket, ability to operate on schedule, move the pocket plays and then also off-schedule,\u201d Vrabel said. \u201cA really gutty performance from Drake. Just continue to enjoy watching him grow and lead this football team.\u201d<\/p>\n![\"Data](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/6HF5ABPO7RGFNH4S5HI75NKB5Y.png\")
Data from NFL Next Gen Stats shows Drake Maye’s production on downfield passes.NFL<\/p>\n