Patriots are learning the truth about Drake Maye that rivals feared would happen

A lot has gone wrong for the New England Patriots over the first three weeks of the 2025 season, but the play of second-year quarterback Drake Maye isn't one of them. Some dysfunction was expected, as the team underwent a massive roster restructuring in the offseason. Maye has overcome all the obstacles.

In the best of circumstances, it takes time for all the disparate pieces to coalesce. The hiring of a new coaching staff with new offensive and defensive systems further complicated the landscape. Expectations should have been tamped down as a result. The team is 1-2.

Yet, with all the problems, there is one constant in this topsy-turvy season, thus far. That's the play of the Patriots' young quarterback, Drake Maye. (Another has been the superlative play of tight end Hunter Henry.) Not much has been lacking in Maye's game at all, and advanced statistics confirm it.

While statistics can be taken to an extreme (witness the "short-arm" theories regarding Patriots left tackle Will Campbell, which are being shredded weekly), they can be helpful if they center on areas of measurement that make sense. Maye's lights-out stats to date are already dispelling any concerns about a sophomore slump by the young quarterback.

There doesn't appear to be a sophomore slump for Patriots' QB Drake Maye this year

Maye's offensive line has been porous, having already given up a whopping 12 sacks in three games. His receiving corps is also mediocre, with no one stepping up to excel. Regardless, nothing seems able to derail the explosive development of the young Patriots' quarterback. Maye is completing 72.6 percent of his passes, a full six points ahead of his solid 2024 pace, a very positive development.

In addition, Maye has flown under the radar in one aspect that has become crucial to the Patriots' success on offense, which in turn demonstrates the increasing positional maturity of Maye by the week.

And if that isn't showing progress enough, he's also racking up several other impressive stats, some of which are among the best of all quarterbacks in the NFL.

Some was expected, as Maye had an under-the-radar impressive rookie season statistically. But at the same time, seeing him flourish in Year 2 despite all the changes the team has undergone shows even more the Patriots got it right when they drafted him last year.

Maye's progress has been one of the few bright spots for a Patriots team that is proving to be its own worst enemy. Allowing multiple sacks weekly and coughing up the ball as they did five times in the Steelers' loss is a prescription for a losing season.

Mike Vrabel has to get Drake Maye's accompanying cast playing better

The job of getting Drake Maye's teammates up to snuff rests with Head Coach Mike Vrabel. Sloppy play riddled with penalties, turnovers, and sacks allowed at an alarming rate, all have to be cleaned up if Maye's 2025 Patriots are to avoid landing at the bottom of the AFC East again.

Vrabel's massive roster retooling thus far has been a flop. Some new players, like rookie offensive linemen Will Campbell and Jared Wilson, have been solid. Yet, by and large, the other new additions have failed to meet expectations. Vrabel or whoever put together this roster has to be feeling some heat already after three games. Additionally, like the 2024 Patriots that lost six games by one score, the 2025 version's two losses have also been in that category.

The Patriots have the most important component of any NFL team, a top quarterback. Drake Maye is already demonstrating that he's a franchise quarterback in the making. Vrabel has to make the necessary roster changes through trades (strongly suggested, especially of underperforming veterans) or by using players he's ill-advisedly kept on the sidelines if things are to improve.

It's time to radically change the offensive system to suit Drake Maye

In addition, the 2025 Patriots offense mirrors to a great extent that used in the 2000s with drop-back quarterback extraordinaire, Tom Brady. That offense is not at all suited to taking advantage of Drake Maye's effective running skills or his ability to throw on the run. A moving pocket or RPO-style offense, where he has the option to do either, is a far better fit for his skillset.

The offensive scheme should be retooled immediately to get Maye in space where he has the options to either throw or run. This will also take pressure off his struggling offensive line. Changing the offense is not an option; it's a necessity. Maye is not a traditional pocket-passing quarterback. Trying to shoehorn him into that system rather than crafting a system to fit his skills is coaching ineptitude.

This scheme change, along with necessary personnel moves, needs to happen now before the 2025 season slips away. Improvising, readapting, and implementing changes are the obligation of the Head Coach, Mike Vrabel. Standing pat risks having a season like his two predecessors, winding up at the bottom of the AFC East. It's time for Vrabel to act, and act now, before it's too late.

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