The respect that Drake Maye has been generating throughout NFL circles is steadily increasing as the New England Patriots' quarterback continues to blossom in his second year. While the signal-caller may be another season away from a full-fledged breakout, it's refreshing to see Maye grow into the leader of this young team.
That was on display on Sunday when the Patriots bulldozed the Carolina Panthers 42-13 in Foxborough, giving New England fans something they hadn't seen in a long, long time: A Patriots' blowout victory.
Maye has been getting endorsements from Patriots' legends throughout the early part of this season, and they're well-earned. He is currently sixth in the NFL in passing yardage with 988 yards through the air, and a robust 74.1 completion percentage that leads eligible signal-callers.
Even though Maye was only 17th in CBS Sports' quarterback power rankings heading into Week 4, he's played much better than those rankings would indicate.
Drake Maye deserves better flowers in power rankings
The aforementioned power rankings have Maye sitting behind the likes of Bo Nix and Brock Purdy. Purdy's 49ers were shellacked by the Jacksonville Jaguars in Week 4, while Nix appears headed for a sophomore slump after getting the Denver Broncos to the postseason as a rookie.
Perhaps the one glaring thing that goes into this? The fact that Maye needs to cut down on his turnovers. And he did that against Carolina, not giving the ball away once after losing a fumble and throwing an interception in a loss to Pittsburgh.
Maye showed his moxie not only by extending plays against Carolina but also by driving the ball down the field. Case in point? A perfectly-placed back-shoulder throw to Stefon Diggs on a 4th down that led to a Patriots' touchdown.
Don't be surprised if Maye moves up the charts in the next power rankings. He doesn't belong in the Josh Allen-Lamar Jackson fraternity quite yet, but if he continues to model his game after one of his signal-calling idols in Allen, Maye, and the Patriots will be just fine.