The New England Patriots rallied from an 11-point fourth-quarter deficit in Week 16 to pick up a 28-24 victory over the Baltimore Ravens on Sunday Night Football. Unsurprisingly, second-year quarterback Drake Maye played a major role in the team’s 12th win of the season.
It wasn’t his cleanest outing, but when the Pats needed Maye the most, he delivered. He finished the game completing 31 of his 44 pass attempts for 380 yards and two touchdowns, while also rushing for 25 yards on 10 carries. He did throw an interception and lose a fumble along the way, though, with both turnovers likely costing the team points.
Maye was at his best in the fourth quarter, as he led a pair of scoring drives that helped New England come out of this one with a win. In the wake of the victory, Patriots’ insider Mike Reiss praised Maye for elevating his game and the game of his teammates when the contest was hanging in the balance.
“Last week, Mike Vrabel made the point that it’s hard to win when a team’s best players don’t play well,” Reiss wrote. “How the game unfolded with Maye reflected this. Through the first three quarters, he was inconsistent, with two turnovers (INT, lost fumble) and a third play in which he lost the football (fortunately recovering it) on a handoff.
It was one main reason the team trailed 24-13 at the start of the fourth quarter. That’s not to say there weren’t flashes of brilliance at times, but Maye’s work from the 12:44 mark of the fourth quarter was so much tighter/more efficient that the whole team rose as a result of it. When Maye plays like that, anything is possible for the Patriots.”
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The stunning rise of Maye has seen the Pats become a legitimate championship contender this season. Nobody is saying this team is perfect, but with Maye playing like an MVP under center, that means New England has a shot at winning every time it takes the field.
And yet, the Patriots still have a pair of important regular-season games remaining before they can fully focus on the postseason. The team will look to inch closer to wrapping up the AFC East division in Week 17 by taking down the New York Jets.
