After the 2025 season for Drake Maye, there was a lot of hype around him heading into Year 3, and in his first season, he had the same head coach and offensive coordinator he'd had since joining the NFL.
Although the schedule was expected to be a threat to repeating last season's success that got them to the Super Bowl, there was plenty of optimism about the kind of quarterback Maye would remain, making it all the more surprising that he struggled so much through the first three games.
That had many jumping on the bandwagon, claiming he was just Mac Jones 2.0, with some even suggesting Mike Vrabel bench the quarterback solely because of his turnovers.
But just as it did last year, playing the Bills in Buffalo brought out the best in Maye last week, putting together the best game of the 2026 season so far, and that luck carried into their game against the Raiders on Sunday.
Maye's confidence was clearly restored, and he put on quite a show for Gillette Stadium against a team ranked 8th in pass defense and averaging 28 points per game.
None of that mattered for Maye, and his performance is something that even Tom Brady never did during his two decades in New England.
Drake Maye's Week 5 performance is one to remember for a lot of reasons
In a game that he completed 26/34 (75%) passes for 374 yards, four touchdowns, no interceptions, and one rushing touchdown, Maye became the first quarterback in Patriots history to put up that stat line.
The closest Brady came to a similar day was in 2007, during his infamous undefeated season, in a game against the Redskins (now Commanders). He threw three touchdowns that day and completed 29/38 passes for 306 yards.
That's quite a better day for Maye in just his third season.
Based on how he looked in the first three weeks of the season, Maye seemed to be regressing after such an impressive year. It was frustrating after he almost won the MVP Award in 2025, losing by just one vote, and looked like he had all the tools to be a legitimate top quarterback in the league for years to come.
Much of it came down to a lack of confidence, but many speculated he was dealing with a lingering shoulder injury from the AFC Championship. He quickly dispelled those rumors with his performance against the Bills, then followed it up with an even better showing against the Raiders.
Maye is back in the top echelon of quarterbacks this season, and the hope is that he can carry this momentum through the rest of the season.
He was calm, cool, and collected on Sunday afternoon, looking like his MVP-caliber self, and despite having only four active receivers, a beat-up offensive line, and a failing backfield, he put on one of the best quarterback performances of Week 5.
That's exactly what the Patriots needed to get back on track and be the competitive team they hoped to be this year. It looks like a win in Buffalo is what it takes for Maye, which couldn't be more exciting for Patriots fans.
If he can maintain this level of play, he'll be the perfect quarterback for this team for a long time and could break even more records, maybe some Brady never set, too, which makes him even more exciting to watch.
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