Drake Maye’s high-level stats speak for themselves. He sits at or near the top of NFL leaderboards in several categories, from completion percentage (first) to passer rating (first) to passing yards (second) to touchdown passes (fourth).
But perhaps the most remarkable aspect of Maye’s game is his consistency.
The New England Patriots’ second-year quarterback has thrown for at least 200 yards in every game this season. He’s thrown multiple TD passes in six of his last eight games, and has posted a passer rating of 100 or higher in 10 of his 13 starts.
How has Maye managed to stay so consistently effective? As Phil Perry explained on a new Next Pats Podcast, the 23-year-old QB has solved essentially every puzzle opposing defenses have thrown at him to date.
“He is a blueprint-proof kind of quarterback,” Perry said. “Nobody’s solved him yet. Maybe that will change when he sees division opponents for the second time this season. Maybe (Buffalo head coach) Sean McDermott has found something in the film, and when the Patriots play the Bills two weekends from now, they’ll have a plan that Drake Maye hasn’t seen and Josh McDaniels hasn’t necessarily prepared for. Maybe that will give them all kinds of trouble, and maybe other teams will try to replicate that.
“I’m skeptical, though. And the reason why is because teams have been trying. They’ve tried all sorts of different things. But Drake Maye has the answers, generally speaking.”
The numbers back up Perry’s point. Over the last eight games — a span of nearly two months — Maye ranks among the league leaders in EPA (expected points added) versus nearly every type of defensive front.
“You want to blitz him? He’s great. According to Sports Info Solutions, since Week 6 — so the last two months of football — he’s fifth in EPA against the blitz,” Perry said.
“You want to play coverage? You only want to rush three or four, drop bodies into the secondary and try to make it cloudy for him? He’s first in EPA against those kinds of fronts. You want to play zone? He’s first in EPA against zone since Week 6. You want to play two-high safety shells? First in EPA. You want to play single-high safety looks? He’s first in EPA.”
“There’s not a real obvious answer for how to deal with this guy. And it tells me that he is thinking his way through playing this position in a way that very few of us could have anticipated.”
Maye’s ability to “have the answers to the test” will be challenged down the stretch. Three of the Patriots’ final four games are against divisional opponents they’ve already faced this season (vs. Buffalo in Week 15, at the New York Jets in Week 17 and at the Miami Dolphins in Week 18). So, it’s very possible Maye sees some new wrinkles from defensive coordinators with four quarters’ worth of relevant game tape.
Then again, Maye has yet to be flummoxed by anything he’s seen over the past two months. In fact, you could argue he’s still getting better.
“That’s the level of football IQ that the Patriots are dealing with now, that would have been very hard for any of us to envision coming into this season,” Perry said of Maye.
“For him to have the grasp that he has on this offense, on what opposing defenses are trying to do to him, and every single week show improvement in those areas — that to me is why he’s the MVP of the league right now.”
Also in this episode:
- Are the Patriots motivated by the “nobody believed in us” narrative?
- Are tweaks coming to the Patriots’ rushing attack?
- The Athletic’s Dane Brugler joins to talk 2026 NFL Draft.
