With all due respect to Joshua Dobbs, the New England Patriots and their fans hope they never have to see their backup quarterback trot onto the field, outside of mop-up duty or victory formations.
Drake Maye has become must-see TV whenever the Patriots have the ball, and when he was ushered off to the blue medical tent with 11:44 remaining in the third quarter on Sunday, fans — and everyone remotely associated with the team — were left holding their collective breath.
New England was locked in a still too-close-for-comfort game with the Tennessee Titans, who trailed 17-13 at the time. The back of Maye’s helmet slammed violently into the turf after a tackle by defensive back Roger McCreary, and the Patriots’ franchise quarterback was visibly shaken up — even shaking his head in an attempt to gain his bearings.
Onto the field trotted Dobbs, an intriguing player who left fans with mixed opinions after some shaky performances in the preseason. Some even wondered whether waiver-wire addition Tommy DeVito could quickly usurp Dobbs as QB2.
As we’ve learned through nine months and seven games of Mike Vrabel in New England, he’s not one to overreact to a player he believes in. That faith was rewarded at Nissan Stadium on Sunday, as Dobbs ended up being the unsung hero that nobody expected following the Patriots’ 31-13 win.
Joshua Dobbs’ relief work for Drake Maye helped propel the Patriots in eventual rout of Titans
New England wound up winning this one going away, but make no mistake — Dobbs might have made the biggest play of the game.
The Titans — and everyone in the stadium — knew the Patriots would run the ball on Dobbs’ first snap, and Rhamondre Stevenson was stuffed for a loss of 1. That made it third-and-5 from the Tennessee 30, and offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels rolled the dice and let his backup quarterback go make a play.
Dobbs probably should have been sacked, but he was able to escape pressure, break a tackle, and find DeMario Douglas open to his right; Dobbs fired a dart on the run for a 12-yard gain.
Joshua Dobbs almost took off after shaking off a rusher, but got his eyes back downfield and found DeMario Douglas for a 3rd down conversion
— Taylor Kyles (@tkyles39) October 19, 2025
Maye was cleared to return one play later, and the Patriots punched in a touchdown to extend their lead to 24-13. Settling for a field goal there wouldn’t have been the end of the world, but staying within one score would have given a bad Titans team some life.
Michael Hurley of NBC Sports Boston was among those making sure Dobbs got his flowers for what ended up being a massive moment.
“It was a heck of a play under any circumstances, but considering how difficult it must have been to come in completely cold and be that cool under pressure? I'm not entirely sure we can properly understand that one.”
The Patriots have made mini statements throughout their four-game win streak, and Sunday’s came when they executed the patented double-score after a tight first half. Maye delivered a 39-yard bomb for a touchdown to Kayshon Boutte with 49 seconds left in the second quarter. The Patriots then came back with a 12-play, 88-yard scoring drive to start the second half — with their backup quarterback coming onto the field for three snaps.
That’s not only good football — it’s validation for Dobbs, who more than earned his stripes as a backup quarterback his team (and the fans) can trust.