Football is a game of short-term memory, and Drake Maye had to turn the page awfully quickly after his moribund performance in the New England Patriots' Week 1 loss to Las Vegas. The home opener against the Raiders was marred by overthrows, skittish decisions, and an interception that swung the momentum to Las Vegas.
The script flipped in Week 2 as the Patriots beat the Dolphins in Miami for the first time since the 2019 season, which poetically was in the second week of that season. Maye's performance was much better, as he threw two touchdown passes, no interceptions, and ran for another score.
Maye's day was set up for success early as he completed his first four passes, and a run-first game plan from Josh McDaniels set the second-year quarterback up to have a strong game. His second TD pass of the afternoon - a 16-yarder to Kayshon Boutte - was a perfectly-dropped ball right in Boutte's bread basket.
Fellow Patriots continue to gush at Maye's performance, and believe it's one New England's signal-caller can build on. That included praise from receiver Stefon Diggs, per MassLive's Mark Daniels.
"I feel like he made a jump from last week, just settling in. It’s hard being a young quarterback, but I feel like he’s doing the best job he can. Four incompletions – you ask him if he’s happy about it.”
Teammates' confidence in Drake Maye will help Patriots going forward
A team's confidence in its quarterback is an important X-factor to success in the NFL, and the Patriots appear to have that confidence in Maye. While he still has more growing to do, Sunday's win in Miami is one that Maye can build off of.
“You’ve got a guy, and he’s looking and calling the plays. You’re looking at him in his eyes and he’s speaking with confidence and enthusiasm,” Morgan Moses told MassLive. “You know plays are going to work. That’s who he is. He’s a leader. He’s our quarterback, man. He played a hell of a game.”
Even former Patriots receivers chimed in, giving Maye his due, with two-time Patriots' Super Bowl champ Chris Hogan loving what he saw from the quarterback.
Hogan likes what he’s seeing from Drake Maye, particularly when it comes to his leadership & accountability.@ChrisHogan_15 | @BleavNetwork
— Christopher Price (@cpriceglobe) September 16, 2025
Full episode here: https://t.co/iM5c42yb8h pic.twitter.com/spOHfysWHW
The 55-yard completion to Rhamondre Stevenson that set up Maye's touchdown run was the icing on the cake, as that throw came on a third-and-long and the Patriots' offense was struggling to move the ball. If Maye doesn't make that play, it would've been difficult for New England to win the game—credit to Maye for making the play when it mattered most.
Now, Maye has to continue to prove his teammates' trust and keep turning the pages.