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Wins like Sunday night, by players like Drake Maye, make it feel like sky might be the limit for Patriots
Maye was at his best when the Patriots needed him most and their chances and depth chart were slimmest.
Welcome to the Unconventional Review, an instant reaction to standouts, stats, and story lines from the Patriots’ most recent game …
We do not say this casually, because it is the highest praise a quarterback can receive. But why deny the truth, especially since it’s so darned fun to acknowledge?
The performance quarterback Drake Maye put on Sunday night in front of a national television audience, rallying the Patriots from an 11-point fourth-quarter deficit to defeat the Ravens, 28-24, was Tom Brady-level stuff.
A win like this, led by a quarterback like this, makes you believe anything is possible with this team, which clinched its first playoff berth since 2021 with the victory. Maye is worthy of complete confidence in any situation going forward.
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His statistics were superb. He finished with 31 completions in 44 attempts for a career-high 380 yards — his first 300-yard passing game — with two touchdowns and an early interception despite being under siege for most of the second half.
But the stats don’t come close to doing his performance justice. Maye was at his best when the Patriots needed him most and their chances and depth chart were slimmest. (TreVeyon Henderson was among at least a half-dozen Patriots to leave with injuries at one point or another.)
With just under 13 minutes left and the Patriots trailing, 24-13, Maye — who is absolutely unflappable in the pocket, perhaps the greatest improvement among many leaps forward in his second season — led the Patriots on a seven-play, 73-yard drive that culminated with a perfectly placed 37-yard touchdown pass to Kyle Williams (who made a heck of a catch on his end). A flick of a 2-point conversion to Rhamondre Stevenson cut it to 24-21.
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It was an exceptional drive given the circumstances. A better one was to come.
The Patriots got the ball back at their own 11 down, 24-21, with 5:02 to play. Maye started it off by ripping a 20-yard throw to Mack Hollins. With 3:19 left and the ball at the New England 44, he took a deep shot to Kayshon Boutte that was batted incomplete after Ravens defensive back Marlon Humphries got away with pass interference. That seemed like an opportunity that would turn into regret, but Maye kept the Patriots moving, hitting Stefon Diggs for 21 yards on fourth and 2 to the Ravens 27.
After one more short throw to Hollins, Stevenson did the honors with a weaving 21-yard touchdown run for a 4-point lead.
The drive covered 89 yards in nine plays, taking just 2:55 off the clock. It was a masterclass in quarterback play in the tensest of situations. A true command performance.
It looked like Tom Brady at his best. But it was Drake Maye, ascending to his own new heights, and carrying his team along with him.
Some further thoughts, upon immediate review …
Three players who were worth watching
Players suggested in the Unconventional Preview: Derrick Henry, TreVeyon Henderson, Kyle Van Noy.
Stefon Diggs: This is what a big-game receiver does. He’s at his best when his quarterback needs him the most. Diggs caught 9 of 10 targets for 138 yards, including a 25-yard catch on the third play from scrimmage and a 33-yarder that led to an Andy Borregales’ 45-yard field goal and a 10-7 Patriots lead in the second quarter. But he was at his most reliable in the second half, even with the Ravens keying on him. The Patriots don’t prevail if he doesn’t come through on the fourth-and-2 catch on the winning drive.
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Rhamondre Stevenson: Don’t let the relatively modest stats (eight carries for 51 yards and a touchdown, two receptions for 27 yards) fool you. Stevenson was excellent and essential, including in blitz pickup. He had a nifty 23-yard catch-and-run early in the third, and his winning run featured two cutbacks that left the Ravens in the dust. The Patriots needed him to come through when Henderson went down with a head injury, and he delivered.
Derrick Henry: The depleted Patriots defense couldn’t really stop Henry, who ran for 128 yards and a pair of touchdowns on just 18 carries, but he did lose a fumble when Jaylinn Hawkins punched the ball loose on the Ravens’ second possession. Strangely, the Ravens’ offensive coaches didn’t use him on one late possession when they were still clinging to a lead.
Grievance of the game
This has to be one of the easiest grievances of all time. We’re all in agreement that it has to be the no-call on Maye’s 50-yard throw to Boutte with 3:19 left in the third quarter, yes? Even rules analyst Terry McAulay on the NBC broadcast was incredulous when Collinsworth asked him if it should have been a penalty. “That’s obvious pass interference, Cris,” he said, sounding somewhat bemused. “Not a hard question at all.”
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Three notes scribbled in the margins
Predicted final score: Patriots 31, Ravens 23
Final score: Patriots 28, Ravens 24
The Patriots’ decision to run a fake punt down, 17-13, with two minutes to play in the third quarter was a bad idea. Marte Mapu took the snap and ran around holding the ball with one hand like he was trying to imitate Walter Payton before fumbling. The Patriots recovered, but the Ravens took over at the New England 44 on downs … Former Boston College star Zay Flowers was a nuisance, catching all seven of his targets for 84 yards, plus rushing for an 18-yard touchdown in the third quarter that put the Ravens up by that 17-13 score. But he coughed up the football and the Ravens’ last chance with just under two minutes left when K’Lavon Chaisson hustled to pop the ball loose. Marcus Jones recovered at the Baltimore 36 … Four plays before his 37-yard touchdown catch, Kyle Williams caught a little in-route for 9 yards that looked like the kind of play Diggs makes four times a game. Am I the only one with the hunch that Josh McDaniels had him run that route to set up the deep ball a moment later?
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