Patriots’ Drake Maye flashes franchise QB future: ‘He has the aura’

Editor’s note: This is the ninth installment of a season-long series on a breakout star from the past week of NFL action. The Week 9 winner: New England Patriots quarterback Drake Maye

During Drake Maye’s miraculous moment, Hunter Henry watched like a fan.

The veteran tight end was on the field when the ball was snapped. It’s just that he was shoved out of bounds when breaking back toward the middle of the end zone in the scramble drill, knocking him out of the play. 

That’s when Henry saw his quarterback zig and zag in the backfield, evading defenders as he scanned the end zone for a receiver with a sliver of separation. And Henry saw the rookie get enough arm on a pass to running back Rhamondre Stevenson as three Titans brought the QB down. The last-second touchdown forced overtime, stunning the Nashville crowd. 

“I honestly got a front row seat to it,” Henry said postgame, “and it was pretty special.” 

Like what Maye is becoming. 

Despite three turnovers, including the game-sealing interception, the No. 3 overall pick showed legitimate franchise quarterback potential in the Patriots’ 20-17 overtime loss to Tennessee on Sunday. Maye completed a season-high 70.7% of his passes for 206 yards and the improbable touchdown, during which he scrambled for 11.82 seconds before finding Stevenson in the end zone — the second-longest time to throw a touchdown pass in at least eight years, according to Next Gen Stats. 

Maye also had eight carries for a season-high 95 rushing yards, the third-most by a Patriots quarterback ever, trailing only Steve Grogan (103 vs. the Jets in 1976) and Babe Parilli (96 vs. the Oilers in 1964), according to FOX Sports Research. 

The first-round pick became the first New England rookie quarterback to have seven or more passing and rushing touchdowns after his first four career starts. 

Entering Week 10, he has a 65.6% completion rate for 770 yards and six touchdowns with four interceptions and an 85.1 passer rating, plus…


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Publish date : 2024-11-05 17:48:12

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