{"id":609739,"date":"2025-12-18T11:40:12","date_gmt":"2025-12-18T11:40:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/609739\/"},"modified":"2025-12-18T11:40:12","modified_gmt":"2025-12-18T11:40:12","slug":"the-patriots-need-drake-maye-now-more-than-ever","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/609739\/","title":{"rendered":"The Patriots need Drake Maye now more than ever"},"content":{"rendered":"

FOXBORO \u2014 This is the type of column the Patriots<\/a> should shield from their franchise quarterback.<\/p>\n

Not because Drake Maye cares how I fill this space. Or has ever bothered to find out.<\/p>\n

But because the notion that the Patriots\u2019 hopes and dreams rest on his shoulders is dangerous. Even if it\u2019s true.<\/p>\n

And as the Pats prepare for another win-and-in game Sunday, it\u2019s never been more true.<\/p>\n

The Patriots are limping. A team reckoning with injuries and its limitations on defense and special teams. Maye is their ticket to the postseason run they\u2019ve been chasing ever since he powered that primetime win at Buffalo, sparking the imaginations of a franchise and fan base.<\/p>\n

But since then, the Bills have exposed the Patriots\u2019 defense<\/a> as a sieve, and especially in critical situations. Opponents are converting on 86% of their runs in short-yardage<\/a>. They\u2019re scoring touchdowns on 75% of their trips inside the red zone<\/a>, which now might as well be a red carpet. The only time Buffalo relented on six drives inside the 20-yard line last weekend is when it chose mercy by kneeling the clock out.<\/a><\/p>\n

Sunday in Baltimore may not prove to be much better. The Pats practiced without five defensive starters Wednesday, including two captains and an impact player at every level. One of those captains, Robert Spillane, wore a walking boot in the locker room.<\/p>\n

If wrangling Derrick Henry wasn\u2019t hard enough, try creating pressure with a smattering of backups and banged-up starters. Since losing Milton Williams, the Pats have a bottom-10 sack rate. They\u2019ve hit quarterbacks just a dozen times. Christian Barmore has three QB hits over the last two months<\/a>, and Harold Landry is playing on one good leg<\/a>.<\/p>\n

So, no pass rush and resistance against the run, plus special teams. All of this puts more on Maye. On his mind, shoulders and spirit.<\/p>\n

History shows the pressure of carrying a team can crack a young quarterback, particularly a 23-year-old tempted by his own talents under pressure; tempted to force throws, take risks, throw on his cape and fly out of the phone booth, all in efforts to save his team.<\/p>\n

But the MVP version of Maye is not a Superman solo act, rather a point guard masquerading as a quarterback. A player mature beyond his years who butchers defenses by alternating deep balls with precise underneath strikes and back-breaking scrambles. Yet last Sunday, Maye threw with scattershot accuracy, sailing incompletions and anxiously scanning a field full of receivers blanketed by tight coverage.<\/p>\n

It has always been true the Pats would go as far as Maye could take them. He is the driving force behind their 11-3 start. But around Maye, the Pats are regressing.<\/p>\n

Stefon Diggs is no longer the man-coverage antidote the Patriots expected and experienced earlier this year. Kayshon Boutte is suddenly good for one catch per game. Their run game still ranks bottom-5 by the opponent-and-situation-adjusted metric DVOA, even after last weekend\u2019s outburst. Their offensive line is the face of the NFL\u2019s fifth-highest pressure rate allowed, meaning Maye has been hit, hurried or sacked more than 38% of the time he\u2019s dropped back to pass.<\/p>\n

Ouch.<\/p>\n

To course-correct, the Patriots must protect him from such punishment. Maye must be allowed to be loose, focused, daring but controlled. Basically, unencumbered by weight of the moment. Himself.<\/p>\n

The good news is he sounds ready.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think when the pressure\u2019s on, you don\u2019t have to play outside (the system) and try to make a hero play,\u201d Maye said Wednesday. \u201cJust make a winning play.\u201d<\/p>\n

Even better news: Baltimore\u2019s pass defense should allow for that. The Ravens rank 21st by DVOA, neighboring teams Maye has shredded like the Giants and Panthers. They\u2019re also below average against deep passes, Maye\u2019s trademark.<\/p>\n

The bad news is Baltimore is likely to pressure him more than most teams, just as Sunday\u2019s stakes will weigh on him more than most games. The Ravens are stubborn against the run, anchored by two massive defensive tackles. On third down, their blitz package is as diverse and dangerous as any in the league.<\/p>\n

If Maye can\u2019t hand it off on early downs, the ball, the game and weight of this season will be in his hands.<\/p>\n

How much can he carry?<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"FOXBORO \u2014 This is the type of column the Patriots should shield from their franchise quarterback. Not because…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":609740,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2050],"tags":[833,7,6441,838,1167,249,2326,2094,6,835,832,208,836,834,831,837],"class_list":{"0":"post-609739","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-new-england-patriots","8":"tag-drake-maye","9":"tag-football","10":"tag-josh-mcdaniels","11":"tag-mike-vrabel","12":"tag-new-england","13":"tag-new-england-patriots","14":"tag-newengland","15":"tag-newenglandpatriots","16":"tag-nfl","17":"tag-nfl-news","18":"tag-nfl-rumors","19":"tag-patriots","20":"tag-patriots-2025","21":"tag-patriots-news","22":"tag-patriots-rumors","23":"tag-robert-kraft"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/channels.im\/@nfl\/115740385303164307","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/609739","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=609739"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/609739\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/609740"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=609739"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=609739"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=609739"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}