The New England Patriots looked to be lost on offense in their Week One loss to the Las Vegas Raiders. It's a movie that has horrified Patriots' fans for years, and Drake Maye looked puzzled in Josh McDaniels' offense. Adjustments were clearly needed.
They certainly paid off in the Patriots' 33-27 win in Miami over the Dolphins on Sunday. McDaniels got his running backs more involved and simplified things for Maye. The Patriots' second-year quarterback looked much more comfortable, and his numbers (19 of 23 passing, two touchdowns, no turnovers) reflected that.
The Patriots' game plan resembled more of a Mike Shanahan approach in terms of running the ball first and generating big plays off of play-action passes. The Denver Broncos won a pair of Super Bowls in the twilight of John Elway's career with that approach, so perhaps that's the way New England's offense should operate.
Case in point? A big play down the field to tight end Austin Hooper on the Patriots' first touchdown drive of the game.
McDaniels even called TE Leak on the #Patriots opening drive, a favorite Shanahan shot play.
— Andrew Callahan (@_AndrewCallahan) September 15, 2025
Today is where you saw the updates/revisions/tweaks to McDaniels' offense really emerge. https://t.co/8pWDQcexJ0 pic.twitter.com/caUtz2j20a
Shanahan-style offense is one Josh McDaniels should continue to use
One of the biggest things with Maye is comfort. McDaniels' offense is one of the complicated varieties, and teaching a second-year quarterback the NFL equivalent of honors calculus may not be the best idea. That's not saying Maye is not an intelligent player - he's shown a lot of poise at times - but McDaniels and the Patriots need to stick to what works.
Rhamondre Stevenson was a bowling ball at times, and the Dolphins had to respect that. It opened things up for Maye to have a comfortable pocket, and he wasn't skittish and rattled. On his touchdown run, he quickly recognized a blindside blitz and was able to get into the end zone with ease.
Pittsburgh is coming to New England for Week Three, and it couldn't come at a better time as the Steelers have given up more than 30 points in their first two games to Justin Fields and Sam Darnold. As bad as those numbers are, Pittsburgh still has a game-wrecking pass rusher in T.J. Watt, so McDaniels will need to stick to what worked in Miami and keep the pressure off his quarterback.
The only change McDaniels should make is getting TreVeyon Henderson more involved. Other than that, if the Patriots use the same approach that led to the win over the Dolphins, their offense will continue to blossom and grow.