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The key to the highest-scoring performance of the Drake Maye era? A functional offensive line.
"I've probably played 100 games. I can count on one hand the amount of games I've had like this."
FOXBOROUGH – Drake Maye looked as comfortable as he ever has been in a Patriots uniform during Sunday’s 42-13 blowout win against the Carolina Panthers.
He was only hit once all day, on a sack from Tershawn Warren. Other than that, he had clean pockets and plenty of time to work with. It resulted in a cool, calm, accurate performance from the second-year quarterback who helped the Patriots top the 40-point mark for the first time in his career.
Maye completed all but three of his 17 passing attempts, threw a pair of touchdowns, ran for another, and did not commit any turnovers. But he could not have done it without a strong performance from his offensive line.
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“They played the role,” Maye said. “They start every play. I think those five guys are playing their tails off, playing their butts off in the run game, in the passing game, learning the protection system, learning third down, different looks.”
“Garrett [Bradbury]’s communicating with me basically on the front getting into different plays. Can’t be more proud of those guys up front and they continue to do it each and every week.”
Getting explosive plays was a challenge for the Patriots in the first three games. But on Sunday, New England had six plays of 20+ yards, which catapulted them to eighth in the league in that category. They got Stefon Diggs more involved, and he rewarded them with some big catches. Hunter Henry and Austin Hooper made plays. Maye had the time he needed to find them, and hit them accurately.
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“Coach McDaniels called a great game,” Bradbury said. “We found some explosives early and this season we’ve had a lot of 15, 17, 17-play drives. We were talking on the sideline about how it was good to get a 6-play touchdown drive. Guys were making plays. We were mixing it up on them. I thought it was a good mix of run and play-action. So, that helps any offensive line.”
The Patriots spread the ball around. Each of the running backs got between six and nine carries. They all averaged at least 4.2 yards per carry. TreVeyon Henderson, Antonio Gibson, and Maye all scored on the ground
“Man, they did great,” Gibson said. “The boys blocked up front, finished with their guys in the end zone. They gave us a good chance to run the ball today.”
Maye hit six different receivers for completions, with Diggs hauling in six of the Patriots’ 14 catches.
“It’s not all o-line,” he added. “Drake did a good job finding his reads, getting the ball out. It was a total team win. There’s always things you can clean up. We’ll get in the film room tomorrow and fix some things, but I think there are some things we can build on.”
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New England hadn’t scored that much since Jan. 2 2022, when then-rookie Mac Jones lit up his hometown Jaguars in a 50-10 win. It was only fitting, then, that Maye would help lead the Patriots to the highest-scoring performance of his young career against his hometown Panthers.
Maye grew up in Huntersville, N.C., a suburban town about 15 miles north of Charlotte. His favorite player was Cam Newton. When he scored on a 5-yard touchdown scamper against the Panthers on Sunday, Maye did Newton’s Superman celebration.
“I think it was cool seeing those jerseys,” Maye said. “Right when I saw those jerseys, it reminded me of Cam, just the energy he brought. I don’t show much emotion out there, probably need to show more. Times when I do, yeah — it’s a fun-loving position.”
“I think he played the position in a different way than a lot of people do, and the guys around him rallied around him,” Maye said of Newton. “I had another one late, I think in the third or fourth, I had a safety one-on-one. I know Cam probably would have took him on and tried to score. Yeah, I got to meet him through the process. I’m a big fan.”
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The Patriots did not face a formidable pass rush on Sunday. Carolina has a league-worst two sacks in four games.
But when was the last time the Patriots beat a weaker opponent this thoroughly? Sunday’s game had a different feel to it. Maye had time to pick Carolina apart, points came in bunches, and the Patriots climbed back to .500.
Sure, Marcus Jones scored a special teams touchdown and nearly had a second one. But, the offense turned in one of its best performances in years and the offensive line had a lot to do with it.
“I told the young guys on the o-line, this is year seven for me,” Bradbury said. “I’ve probably played 100 games. I can count on one hand the amount of games I’ve had like this.”
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