Any young quarterback going into their second NFL season is expected to have a second-year jump, or a second-year slump, and that was exactly what the conversation was surrounding Drake Maye with the Patriots for the 2025 season. Based on what we saw from him as a rookie, it seemed fair to assume he would have the ultimate jump, and he has proven that to be true through just six games.
His performance so far this season has reignited the conversation surrounding the Patriots' potential playoff run this year, even if that still feels premature. But Maye is playing at an unreal level right now, with his production matching the likes of Tom Brady and now, Patrick Mahomes.
In fact, he's on pace to tie Mahomes this weekend against the now head coach-less Titans if he manages to continue the upward trajectory he's been on recently.
If that isn't a solid indicator of just how good Maye has been so far, and what his future could look like, then it's hard to say what is.
Only one QB under the age of 24 has recorded six straight games with at least 200 passing yards and a passer rating over 100 -- Patrick Mahomes.
— Chad Graff (@ChadGraff) October 13, 2025
If Drake Maye does it Sunday against the Titans, he'll join Mahomes as the only other QB to do that.
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Drake Maye is exceeding expectations as the Patriots QB beyond anything we could have predicted
The expectations for the Patriots' 2025 season were already high because of how impressive Maye looked as a rookie. They only skyrocketed once Mike Vrabel was hired as the team's next head coach, and Josh McDaniels returned as the offensive coordinator.
Although the partnership between Maye and last year's play caller, Alex Van Pelt, appeared to work well, McDaniels has a history of putting quarterbacks on the map, and his history of working closely with Tom Brady for so many years made it easy to want to see what he could accomplish with a young player like Maye.
It's so far, so good with the new duo and it has only gotten better each and every week.
The season began a bit slow, with McDaniels looking somewhat reluctant to fully commit to using the playbook and allowing Maye to throw downfield. But that hasn't been an issue over the last few weeks, and we're really starting to see him come into his own and lead the offense to new heights.
Besides his obvious comfort from experience and a notable coordinator to work with, it's clear that the Patriots' improvements to the offense have drastically helped elevate Maye to a new level this year. We've already seen that the offensive line is playing like one worthy of being in the NFL, and the receiving corps is proving to be a reliable group for a young quarterback to work with.
Now, Maye is on a path that very few have been in, and because they are set to face a now head coach-less Titans team, it seems fair to assume that he will match Mahomes this weekend and officially prove the Patriots got the right quarterback under center for now and the long haul.