For months, New England Patriots fans had to listen to naysayers dismiss Drake Maye. They talked about the easy schedule, called him vastly overrated, and desperately rooted for his downfall.
The energy around a quarterback who's never said anything wrong is a bit weird, but that's a story for another day. The fact is, he hasn't done much to silence the critics with his play.
That's why, after watching him return to his old ways in the win over the Buffalo Bills, one can only wonder whether he was actually back. If you ask Russell Wilson, everyone should be ready to deal with the Drake Maye of all.
Russell Wilson thinks Drake Maye is officially back
"I got a lot of belief in Drake Maye still and I think we all should," Wilson affirmed on CBS.
Wilson certainly knows more about the quarterback position than the average internet coach or social media troll, so we should take his word on this one. Truth be told, that seemed true in Week 4, especially in the game's biggest moments.
Maye layered throws, made great reads, and took care of the football (for the most part). He didn't force throws that weren't there, hold onto the ball longer than he should've, or hold onto the ball longer than he should've; he found his guys in stride more often than not.
The third-year quarterback also made plays with his legs, but not always out of necessity. He found gaps in the defense instead of just running away from the pressure. It was nothing like the Drake Maye of the first three weeks of the regular season.
Maye has all the talent in the world. He also has the physical traits and the unwavering support of the organization and his teammates. But even the best players go through rough patches, and maybe—hopefully—he just needed one solid performance to get his legs back under him and regain his confidence.
For months, opposing fan bases have had a field day at Maye's expense. They seem to forget that a Week 5 win over the Bills fueled a 10-game winning streak and an eventual Super Bowl run for this same Patriots team, with the same guy lining up behind center.
They've laughed, shared memes, and cracked jokes. Now, fun time is over. The good version of Drake Maye is officially back, and last time, the trolls weren't laughing at all.
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