NASHVILLE, Tenn. — In the Music City on Sunday, Drake Maye kicked his early-season case for MVP into high gear.
The second-year quarterback was historically efficient in the Patriots’ dominant 31-13 victory over the Titans, completing 21 of 23 passes for 222 yards and two touchdowns with a 135.9 passer rating before exiting in the fourth quarter with the game in control.
Maye’s 91.3% completion rate was the highest in a game in Patriots history (minimum of 20 pass attempts). He also added eight carries for 62 yards. He’s the first quarterback in the Super Bowl era to complete 90% of his passes, throw for more than 200 yards and rush for more than 50 yards in a single game, according to FOX Sports research.
Drake Maye reacts to a play against the Titans at Nissan Stadium in Nashville on Sunday. (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images)
On a day when Patriots coach Mike Vrabel’s return to Nashville drew the biggest headlines, New England extended its winning streak to four games — with Maye leading the charge.
“I think there is an athleticism to him that’s really, really cool,” Vrabel said. “I think he’s really accurate from all different spots, whether it’s in the pocket, off-platform. He really has done a nice job so far spreading the football around. But there is an accuracy to him that has been really good for us.”
Last year’s No. 3 overall pick, Maye set the tone in the first half, when he completed 10 of 11 passes for 110 yards and both scores. The former UNC star missed three snaps to get evaluated for a concussion after taking a hard hit in the third quarter but otherwise carved up the Titans’ defense with ease.
The two touchdowns, which kicked off a 21-3 run, came on back-to-back drives in the second quarter. Maye first found tight end Austin Hooper, who mossed Titans cornerback L’Jarius Sneed at the back of the end zone, for the three-yard score. On a first-and-10 at the Titans’ 39 on the next drive, Maye connected with wide receiver Kayshon Boutte for the 39-yard touchdown.
According to Next Gen Stats, the touchdown pass to Boutte traveled 52.6 air yards. Maye is the only quarterback this season with multiple touchdown passes that have traveled at least 50 air yards.
“It’s the guys around me,” Maye said of his high-level play. “We’re instilling confidence in each other. … [If you] just keep on going out there and getting some wins under your belt, it helps with that. So just keep on going and not changing throughout the week and keep trying to do better.”
Maye flashed promise in 12 starts as a rookie, but he’s taken massive strides in Year 2, his first with Vrabel and offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels.
Maye became the third player under the age of 24 with 200-plus passing yards and a 100-plus passer rating in six straight games. He’s also the fourth player in the Super Bowl era with at least two passing touchdowns, 60 rushing yards and two or fewer incompletions in a single game, per FOX Sports Research.
“He keeps his poise,” wide receiver Demario Douglas said. “Never too high, never too low. He comes into the game very prepared. He watches a lot of film, definitely locked in and gets everybody right in their position. He’s becoming a great leader and his confidence is getting up there.”
Backup quarterback Joshua Dobbs added that Maye has done a good job of getting to know his teammates in and outside the facility.
“Guys gravitate around him and want to play well for each other,” Dobbs explained. “Our team is coming together really well, and he’s the tip of that spear as the starting quarterback.”
There are other stars across the league who are in the early-season mix for MVP. The Bucs’ Baker Mayfield is one. The Chiefs’ Patrick Mahomes, who has caught fire over the past few weeks, is another. Falcons superstar running back Bijan Robinson, who entered Week 7 leading the NFL with 822 scrimmage yards, is a front-runner among non-quarterback options.
But Maye is a burgeoning superstar, and his rapid growth is impossible to ignore.
“There is a lot of demand there from Josh [McDaniels] and myself and I think he’s responded to that as far as the leadership that he’s had to show this offense,” Vrabel said. “Kept talking about he wants to earn it. Well, I told him that he’s earned it. … I think those guys respond to him and the things that he says and the way that he operates.”
He’s operating at an MVP level.
Ben Arthur is an NFL reporter for FOX Sports. He previously worked for The Tennessean/USA TODAY Network, where he was the Titans beat writer for a year and a half. He covered the Seattle Seahawks for SeattlePI.com for three seasons (2018-20) prior to moving to Tennessee. You can follow Ben on Twitter at @benyarthur.
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