Josh Allen praises Drake Maye’s potential ahead of showdown in Buffalo
"I think their quarterback is going to be really good for a really long time."
Drake Maye has a ways to go if he wants to reach Josh Allen’s level on the gridiron.
But through just 10 career games, the Patriots rookie QB’s arm strength and mobility have already drawn plenty of comparisons to the Bills star signal caller.
“That’s young Josh Allen 2.0. He looks amazing,” Patriots defensive tackle Davon Godchaux said of Maye in November. “I love watching him on the sideline. … I tell the guys all the time that he plays like Josh Allen 2.0. I played Josh Allen in Miami his rookie year, and he didn’t look that good, and Josh Allen is a phenomenal player now.”
While it should come as little surprise that Maye’s teammate in Godchaux would speak highly of his quarterback, Allen himself praised Maye’s potential ahead of their meeting on the field Sunday afternoon in Buffalo.
“I think their quarterback is going to be really good for a really long time,” Allen told reporters in Buffalo Wednesday. “He’s making some unbelievable plays, extending and from the pocket. I’ve got a lot of respect for him and his game.”
Maye echoed a similar sentiment about his respect for Allen on Wednesday, especially with the Bills QB currently on a path toward his first career NFL MVP this season.
Allen has thrown for 3,395 yards, 25 touchdown passes and just five interceptions for the 11-3 Bills this season. He has also rushed for 484 yards and 11 additional touchdowns.
‘What a special player,” Maye said of Allen. “He’s playing at a really high level. It’s been fun to watch some of his highlights in some of the games. They’ve got a lot of prime time games, so anytime Josh is on, I’m a big fan of his, a big fan of his game.
“I got to meet him a couple times throughout my time just crossing paths, and he’s an awesome dude. He’s a great player, and what he’s done for Buffalo and how they embrace him is pretty cool and pretty admirable.”
Even if Maye is obviously not playing at Allen’s current capabilities, the case can be made that Maye is off to a better start to his NFL career.
During Allen’s first two years with the Bills in 2018 and 2019, he completed just 56.3 percent of his passes while throwing for 30 touchdowns and 21 interceptions over 28 games. He also averaged 40.8 rushing yards per game.
Maye has been much more accurate as a passer during his rookie campaign — completing 64.4 percent of his passes while throwing for 12 touchdowns and nine interceptions. Maye is averaging 35.9 rushing yards per game, but is gaining more yards per carry (8.5) than Allen over his first two seasons (5.8).
But even with Maye’s promising start in New England, he doesn’t want to hear about any comparisons between him and Allen at this stage of his career.
“I think I’ve got a long way to go,” Maye said. “What a player he is, playing at an MVP level. I think the biggest thing is just the progression he’s made. I think what he dealt with, whether coming out of college or his first years here, I feel like everybody was just kind of not giving him the credit he deserved.
“Now, you can see kind of the full fruition of what he’s doing and the level he’s playing at. Just, like I said, fun to watch, and I think I’ve got a long way to go to get to anywhere close to playing at his level.”
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