Drake Maye is about to do something in the playoffs even Tom Brady never did

The job’s not finished, but the first three playoff games of Drake Maye’s career could carve out a special spot in the NFL’s all-time record books.

While the national rhetoric continues to focus on the New England Patriots’ opponents, rather than the team that’s been making those opponents look mediocre for more than three months, one point is undeniable.

The postseason road for Maye and the Patriots’ offense has been anything but easy; in fact, when you factor in Sunday’s looming AFC Championship Game at Denver, Maye will be facing a gauntlet no NFL quarterback has seen in a decade.

Modern-day NFL stats, such as EPA and DVOA, factor in a range of factors when ranking the top-performing offenses and defenses in football. But when zooming in on the old-school metric of total defense, in terms of overall yards allowed per game, Maye’s playoff road through the Chargers, Texans, and Broncos this year is the first three-game stretch featuring top-five defenses since Cam Newton and the Carolina Panthers in 2015.

Fittingly, given Newton’s comical commentary on Maye and the Patriots this season, Newton lost in that third game — to the Broncos, of all teams, in Super Bowl 50; Denver dominated the Panthers in that game, forcing a pair of Newton fumbles and holding him out of the end zone in a 24-10 victory.

The symmetry there with Newton and the Broncos is a little too perfect, given what Maye and the Patriots have in front of them. But if New England’s 23-year-old QB can lead his team through the Mile High City and earn a trip to Super Bowl LX, he’ll be able to boast a postseason feat that not even Tom Brady has on his resume.

NFL fans trashing the Patriots’ playoff run clearly haven’t watched Drake Maye

Each of the Patriots’ two playoff games have felt like tractor pulls — because of course they have.

The Chargers were tough, boasting one of the best all-around defenses in football, including the NFL’s best success rate on third down. They were the No. 5 unit overall entering their wild-card round playoff game at Gillette Stadium, and they definitely won their fair share of drives. 

The Patriots won the game, though, with Maye threading a gorgeous 28-yard touchdown pass over the fingertips of All-Pro safety Derwin James to help seal a 16-3 win.

It was more of the same in the divisional round against Houston, which entered as the NFL’s No. 1 defense against the pass and fourth against the rush. Will Anderson, Danielle Hunter, and the Texans wreaked havoc at times against the Patriots, including forcing four fumbles.

Still, Maye made more than a handful of elite, championship-level throws, none bigger than his 32-yard dime to Kayshon Boutte with Derek Stingley Jr. — the No. 1 cover corner in football — in coverage.

It's been far from perfect, as Maye technically has five total turnovers and six fumbles in these two playoff games. His offense has also gotten a major assist from the Patriots' defense, which, in both games, has outclassed the highly touted unit on the other side in convincing fashion.

It’s obviously fun for Patriots fans to compare Maye’s MVP-caliber season to Brady’s 20-year career in Foxboro, but this one’s definitely not apples-to-apples with the GOAT. Brady’s Patriots almost always had a first-round bye (two of them were awarded in a six-team playoff field back then), and they typically feasted on a divisional round layup before things got real in the AFC Championship Game and Super Bowl.

Brady’s Patriots went through the NFL’s top-ranked defenses in 2004 (Steelers) and in 2016 (Texans) on their way to Super Bowl titles, but nothing like Maye and company have had to navigate this year.

This year’s defensive leaders in total yards allowed, in order, were Houston, Denver, Minnesota, Cleveland, and the L.A. Chargers. A potential matchup in Super Bowl LX against Seattle’s sixth-ranked defense would add to the fun. If the Patriots draw that path, they’d have a chance to boast wins over five of the top six defenses the NFL has to offer, with Maye standing alone as the only QB ever to accomplish such a feat.

Those still pedaling takes on the Patriots’ “easy road” are losing credibility by the week.