The New England Patriots are officially the worst team in football after their overtime loss to the Tennessee Titans on Sunday.
But the play of their rookie quarterback offered hope for the future.
No. 3 overall pick Drake Maye racked up 301 total yards in Week 9, completing 29 of 41 passes for 209 yards while adding a career-high 95 rushing yards on eight attempts. Maye made an incredible play on the final play of regulation, scrambling for nearly 12 seconds before finding Rhamondre Stevenson for a 5-yard touchdown pass that forced overtime.
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Wild. Crazy. Unbelievable. Drake Maye would not be denied six points. pic.twitter.com/08D7BiEpYg
— NFL (@NFL) November 3, 2024
How dynamic has Maye been since taking over as the Patriots' starting QB in Week 6 against the Houston Texans?
According to Boston Sports Info on Twitter/X, the 22-year-old is the first quarterback in NFL history to tally at least 700 passing yards, complete at least 60 percent of his passes, throw at least six touchdown passes, rush for at least 200 yards and have at least one rushing TD through his first four starts.
That's even more impressive when you consider Maye missed a whole half last Sunday after suffering a concussion early in the second quarter of New England's 25-22 win over the New York Jets. The rookie QB has already amassed 770 passing yards on a 65.6 percent completion rate with six touchdown passes and four interceptions in addition to 209 rushing yards and one rushing TD through fewer than five full games.
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While Maye's passing stats are encouraging, he's turning even more heads with his legs. His 95 rushing yards on Sunday were the third-most ever by a Patriots QB in one game and the most since Steve Grogan (103) in 1976, while Maye's ability to extend plays has helped mask New England's issues on the offensive line.
It hasn't all been positive for the North Carolina product, however. Maye has tried to do too much at times and committed three costly turnovers Sunday against the Titans, committing a fourth-quarter fumble on his own 26-yard line that set up Tennessee's go-ahead touchdown and throwing the game-sealing interception in overtime. He already has six turnovers (four interceptions, two fumbles) in four games and is 0-3 as a starter when he plays the whole game.
Maye is still raw and has a long way to go if he wants to help the Patriots win games on a consistent basis. It's obvious he has an abundance of talent, though, and that should make New England fans excited about the future despite the depressing results in the present.
