New England Patriots
Not only did Maye pass his biggest test yet against the Buccaneers — a road game, in unfavorable weather, against a relentless and darned good defense — but he changed the conversation.
Welcome to the Unconventional Review, an instant reaction to standouts, stats, and story lines from the Patriots’ most recent game …
It wasn’t Drake Maye’s best statistical game, nor was it his most efficient. He completed two of his first seven passes for 19 yards, sailing throws with a wet ball in the way Troy Aikman famously used to and Tom Brady never did. He threw a fourth-quarter interception that had a chance to be cost-‘em-the-game regrettable.
And the Patriots’ 28-23 victory over the Buccaneers, which improved their road record to 5-0, was the quintessential team effort, reminiscent of so many victories in the early phase of the dynasty, with so many individuals contributing that it’s impossible to acknowledge all of them in this format.
Now that we’ve dutifully established that Maye (16 of 31, 270 yards, 2 TDs, and the interception) had plenty of help and indeed did not play a flawless game, let’s move on to acknowledging an extraordinary development, the kind that should make Patriots fans giddy, and one confirmed yet again Sunday:
With Maye at quarterback, the Patriots can beat anyone, anywhere. They should at this point, with good health the rest of the way, be considered Super Bowl contenders.
Not only did Maye pass his biggest test yet against the Buccaneers — a road game, in unfavorable weather, against a relentless and darned good…