The New England Patriots have their fans feeling on top of the world after a 42-13 victory over the Carolina Panthers at Gillette Stadium on Sunday.
There were plenty of positive storylines for the Pats on the day, including Stefon Diggs’s 101 receiving yards and Marcus Jones’s absurd, record-breaking performance as a punt returner.
New England’s QB wasn’t too shabby, either. Drake Maye completed 14 of 17 passes for 203 yards and two touchdowns (155.6 QB rating on the day). Maye also rushed for a TD, which placed him in rarefied air alongside two of the NFL’s best current quarterbacks.
According to the Patriots Communications Department, Maye is one of just three players in NFL history to have multiple games with a rushing TD, a passing TD, and at least a 135 passer rating.
Though Maye hasn’t been outstanding on every series so far this season, he’s still only 23 years old, and Sunday’s performance was a reminder of his incredibly high ceiling.
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What’s most important is the win. Maye is now just one victory shy of matching the number of games he won during his rookie campaign (3-9 in 12 starts in 2024).
The Patriots are clearly building something special around Maye, but they’ll need to prove they can play consistent, mistake-free football against a playoff-worthy opponent.
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New England won’t have to wait long to dive into that challenge, as Maye and the Patriots will travel to Buffalo to take on the Bills in Week 5.
While a win feels unlikely, a solid performance from Maye on the road would only further indicate that he’s turning into the franchise QB that New England envisioned when they drafted him at No. 3 overall in the 2024 NFL Draft.
