The moans were loud after Patriots Head coach Jarad Mayo announced that he will become the starting quarterback Drake Maye after initially placing it from Weeks 1-5. The complaints came from dumb analysts like me who thought the idea of ​​sitting Maye in the first place was so he wouldn’t develop bad habits and be shocked into playing behind the Patriots’ porous pass protection. Why back down on this idea now? We’ve seen extremely talented quarterbacks begin to drop their look on the pass rush, drift and throw off their back foot playing behind leaky offensive lines.

The fear was that it might happen to Maye, who needed to clean up his footwork coming out of North Carolina. However, Drake excelled under pressure. He’s elevated the Patriots from a league-worst to a viable one and could end up being the most impressive rookie in his class if he continues to improve at the rate he is now.

Maye lifted the Patriots in several statistical categories, mostly with the same cast. They rose 10 spots in points per game (a 0.7 increase), nine spots in expected points added per game, and eight spots in hit rate per game. The Patriots haven’t increased their explosive play rate much, but that has more to do with their lack of elite weapons outside.

GO DEEPER

11 stats that tell the story of Drake Maye’s hot start

The defense wasn’t afraid to play man against the Patriots receivers. In Jacoby BrissettIn his early days, they faced man coverage on 33.3 percent of snaps (third most in the league), but Maye’s scrambling ability changed that. Maye’s strikeout rate (11.2 percent) is just second Jayden Danielsand despite starting just five games, he already ranks fourth in EPA total scrambles (21.82) behind only Daniels, Jalen hurts and Patrick Mahomes. As a result, the defense got more tired of playing man against the Patriots. In Maye’s starts, the Patriots faced a man on just 26.7 percent of their dropbacks (16th in the league).

DRAKE MAYE. 17 yard TD for the rookie!

: #NYJvsNE on CBS/Paramount+
: pic.twitter.com/QCLpeTf9xG

— NFL (@NFL) October 27, 2024

Maye’s footwork became sloppy in college at North Carolina due to the constant pressure, which led to some accuracy issues. So far as a pro, his feet and base have looked cleaner and he’s been one of the more accurate defenders in the league. He ranks seventh-best in target pass rate (13.8 percent) among quarterbacks with at least 100 attempts.

Week 11, 5:33 left in first quarter, second-and-6

On this touchdown pass to Kendrick Bourne against ramsThe Patriots had two inbound routes with the running back on a swing.

Maye read the coverage and saw two defenders jump back into the flats, so he knew he had a gap in the middle of the field to throw to.

When he hit the last step of the fall, he swung his back foot toward the target with a wide base and bent knees so he was ready to transfer his weight efficiently.

He hit the last step of the fall and fired a perfectly placed bullet into Bourne.

Kendrick Bourne is back for @Patriots!

: #LARvsNE on FOX
: pic.twitter.com/cuQS1SZ7WG

— NFL (@NFL) November 17, 2024

There were times in college where he got away too much, often out of necessity. He knew where the pressure or blitz was coming from and would move away from it to create space for passes. One of his best skills is to throw accurately without a platform – that skill was invaluable in NFL.

In this clip, he knew he was going to have free rushers coming from his right, they moved away, but he still threw an accurate pass to his hot route.

Week 11, 7:42 left in second quarter, third-and-7

On third-and-7 against the Rams, Maye flagged back Anthony Gibson out to strip the cover. Safety Jaylen McCollough followed Gibson outside instead of a linebacker, confirming to Maye that both linebackers would rush.

Maye motioned Gibson back so that every defender was accounted for with the center sliding to the right.

After the snap, Michael Hoecht he rushed the guard to deal with it before retreating to cover. Gibson picked off safety Cam Kurl, but McCollough continued the blitz when he saw Gibson block, giving the Rams a clear drive.

Maye knew he had to move away from the blitz, but he also had to wait for the receiver DeMario Douglas to pass Hoecht’s area.

Maye went right, but still hit Douglas, going the opposite direction as she was hit. His film is full of clips of him staying strong in the pocket, avoiding pressure and still throwing accurately downfield. Maye ranks 10th in EPA per dropback when blitzed.

Another @popshetta3 highlight for you

: FOX pic.twitter.com/H53AFHxUN0

— New England Patriots (@Patriots) November 17, 2024

And then there are the big throws. Maye’s receivers struggle with separation, but he has been able to complete some spectacular passes down the field thanks to pure arm talent.

Week 10, 11:45 left in first quarter, first-and-10

Against BearsThe Patriots had a scissor concept called the tight end Austin Hooper taking a corner route. Hooper ran 4.72 in the 40, but that was eight years ago.

It took some time for Hooper to get downfield and he didn’t create much separation in the nickel Kyler Gordon. He was by definition covered with Gordon playing him tight with outside leverage when Maye threw.

Maye placed the ball perfectly over Gordon’s head in a spot where the defender had no chance to make a play on the ball.

Douglas is the Patriots best pass rusher. Conformable Fantasy Pro’s average separation score, among receivers with at least 50 routes run, Douglas ranks 35th. The Patriots’ next-ranked receiver is Ja’Lynn Polkwhich ranks 59th. According to Pro Football Focus, the Patriots’ offensive line is dead last in pass-blocking efficiency, which measures pressure allowed on a per-snap basis with a share of sacks allowed. Despite his circumstances, Maye is thriving and already doing the most important but difficult job of a quarterback: elevating the play of the players around him. His numbers may not reflect it, but he could end up having one of the most impressive rookie seasons in a very talented quarterback class.

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(Top photo: Wesley Hitt/Getty Images)