The 2025 New England Patriots are a team led by a 23-year-old quarterback, Drake Maye, who's playing like a 10-year veteran. Maye was drafted in 2024, the only draft pick from that debacle who's made any contributions.
Yet, in some drafts, one pick (e.g., #199 in 2000) can make all the difference. In 2024, that pick was the third overall, quarterback Drake Maye. Maye was superb in his rookie season, despite his development being hindered by bone-headed decision-making by his on and/or off-field management.
When he finally did get on the field, despite inexplicably having no first-team reps for the entire pre-season and until about game four of the regular season in favor of journeyman backup, Jacoby Brissett, Maye was superb.
Now, with a professional coach and roster assembler in Mike Vrabel, the world has been turned upside-down for the Patriots and Maye. He's a legitimate MVP candidate.
Drake Maye is carrying the Patriots on his back this season
The word of the week for the Patriots after a costly loss to the Buffalo Bills had to be "rebound". The team needed a win against a Baltimore team with its MVP quarterback, Lamar Jackson, back and a bulldozing running back, Derrick Henry, ready to rumble. An injury took Jackson out of the game early, but the Ravens had an 11-point lead in the fourth quarter anyway.
If a true rebound, a win was to happen, it was on quarterback Drake Maye. He needed to not only rebound from his lack of late success against the Bills but also from a tepid first three quarters against the Ravens, as well. And he did just that.
Drake Maye's coach, Mike Vrabel, had some nice things to say about the toughness his 23-year-old quarterback exhibited against Baltimore.
“I just thought gritty. I mean, he got hit. He got hit. They pressured him, or they got home when they didn’t. He just kept getting up and battling. He didn’t flinch. I think it was important for all of us to have that game, the entire team.”
Drake Maye was Tom Brady-like in the fourth quarter against the Ravens
The pressure was certainly on when the unflappable Drake Maye took the ball down 11 points with about 12 minutes left on the clock, after Henry plowed in for a touchdown. It was a rebound or a fold in a game that could have major implications on the AFC East Division race and the playoffs. Maye had to produce, and he rose to the occasion.
After a nice drive, Maye hit wide receiver Kyle Williams with a 37-yard dime, and Williams made a fabulous catch for another superb touchdown by the rookie. Williams continues to prove he should be getting snaps and targets, though inexplicably, he has had only 16 targets all season. That narrowed the deficit to three points at 24-21.
Maye completed the comeback and ultimately sealed the win with 2:01 remaining on the clock by leading a drive that resulted in a brilliant 21-yard run by Rhamondre Stevenson. He'd been pressed into service due to an injury to explosive rookie running back TreVeyon Henderson, whose loss could be devastating.
The Ravens' win locked up the Patriots' first playoff berth since 2021. Vrabel had neglected to reinforce the running back room at the trade deadline. That could now prove costly as the lack of healthy depth at running back makes the team's offense one-dimensional, not an optimal situation as the team approaches the playoffs.
Regardless, Maye's fourth-quarter heroics were admirable. In crunch time, he completed 12 or 14 passes for 139 yards and a touchdown. For the game, he completed 70.5 percent of his passes for 380 yards, his first game ever over that vaunted mark, with two touchdown passes.
In exhibiting that "grit" Vrabel lauded, Maye vaulted himself right back into the MVP race. He now sports a seasonal completion rate of 70.9%, with 3,947 yards passing, 25 touchdowns, and only eight interceptions.
While he may not win that vaunted award, it's clear that Maye has the true git and the right stuff of a champion. There is no player in the NFL more valuable to his team than he is.