There's not much positive to look back on from the 2024 Patriots season, except these two Drake Maye highlights
Get Starting Point
A guide through the most important stories of the morning, delivered Monday through Friday.
Enter Email
Sign Up
Sure, Maye was a little bit reckless (again: expected) and often, a lot of fun. His arm strength (particularly his touch on deep throws) and mobility (he ran for 421 yards, and is already ninth all-time in rushing among Patriots quarterbacks) suggest he could develop into The Franchise Quarterback. It didn't hurt that Maye has a natural, easy-going charisma, which stood in contrast to Jones's personality, which was about as compelling as an Eggo waffle without syrup.
Advertisement
When you try to summon positive memories from last season – and I think we agree a full NFL Films recap of the '24 Patriots would run roughly as long as a between-innings commercial break on a NESN Red Sox broadcast — two Maye highlights come to immediately to mind, the kind that make you say, 'Oh, this kid has
got
it.'
Advertisement
The first came in the Patriots' Week 9 loss to the Titans, Maye's fourth start, and I suspect you're already replaying this one in your mind. You know the circumstances and the beats, but let's reiterate anyway.
With no time left on the clock, the ball on the Tennessee 5, and the Patriots trailing, 17-10, Maye dropped back, patted the ball, scanned the field, scanned some more, bounced left, rolled right, scanned, scanned, scrambled left, eluded one Titan hell-bent on ending the game right then and there, and just as he got crunched by two others, threw the ball across his body to Rhamondre Stevenson for a touchdown, forcing overtime.
DRAKE MAYE MAGICCCCCCCCC!!!!!!!!!
📺: FOX
— New England Patriots (@Patriots)
That cool was evident, too, on a perfectly timed yet almost casual shovel pass for a touchdown to DeMario Douglas during the Patriots' Week 15 loss to the Cardinals.
Drake Maye makin' plays for the
📺:
📱:
— NFL (@NFL)
Of course, highlights are different from achievements. The Patriots won just one of Maye's starts. I'd argue his greatest achievement was looking competent and usually poised with very little help around him.
Hunter Henry and Austin Hooper were reliable tight ends. Receivers Kayshon Boutte and Douglas had occasional promising moments. Antonio Gibson gave it his all. But other than that? Let's see. The offensive line was overrun like a busted dam, the best running back kept putting the ball on the ground, the head coach wasn't ready for the job, and the coaching staff was made up mostly of retreads and newbies who were underqualified for their responsibilities.
Advertisement
I'm not saying Maye came into the most hopeless situation in recent NFL history. That title belongs, perhaps permanently, to David Carr, who got broken by the expansion Texans after being the No. 1 pick in the 2002 draft. Getting sacked 76 times in a season will change a man.
I am saying the massive disadvantages Maye faced last season have probably been underestimated. And it's going to be fascinating to see how much a leap he can take now that he has a real support system.
Related
:
The upgrade from Mayo to Mike Vrabel is the biggest Patriots head coaching upgrade since Bill Parcells replaced Dick McPherson. (And you know what? I'll hear you on the massive upgrade of going from Pete Carroll — a fine coach now who was way too
happy-happy-joy-joy
during his three gradually worse years here — to Bill Belichick.)
Nearly as important, Vrabel has an experienced, deep, and well-rounded staff, including offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels, who is acclaimed here for his championship collaborations with Tom Brady, but also got the most anyone could have out of Cam Newton and his shot shoulder in 2020 and rookie Eggo Jones a year later.
Maye's supporting cast on offense is still a work in progress, one requiring more help in the years ahead. But with
Advertisement
It's telling that Vrabel has been tough on Maye in preseason,
Early returns suggest it's not the relentlessly sarcastic approach that eventually drove Drew Bledsoe to frustration with Parcells, but a
sometimes
sarcastic approach delivered constructively and often with humor.
Vrabel, and McDaniels too, can coach Maye in a way Mayo and Alex Van Pelt could not. It's one more thing Maye needs to become the quarterback his talent, charisma, and highlights from a season worth forgetting, suggest he can be.
Chad Finn can be reached at
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
26 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Jarrett Stidham shines again as Broncos dominate Cardinals in 27-7 win
The Denver Broncos dominated the Arizona Cardinals with a 27-7 win in Week 2 of NFL preseason at Empower Field at Mile High on Saturday evening. The Broncos rested most starters, but coach Sean Payton made a few exceptions, including tight end Evan Engram. The veteran helped Denver march 97 yards on the team's opening drive with a 58-yard catch-and-run. After quarterback Jarrett Stidham then connected with rookie receiver Pat Bryant for 29 more yards, rookie running back RJ Harvey punched it in from eight yards out to give the Broncos an early 7-0 lead. Arizona matched that score with an 11-play, 67-yard drive that ended with quarterback Jacoby Brissett's 16-yard touchdown pass to receiver Simi Fehoko to tie the game at 7-7. Stidham later threw a touchdown pass of his own, connecting with receiver Troy Franklin on a 27-yard score to give the Broncos a 14-7 lead. After Denver's second score of the game, the Cardinals replaced Brissett with Clayton Tune at quarterback late in the first quarter. Stidham stayed in the game for the Broncos' third series and the offense drove down to the two-yard line and lined up to go for it on 4th-and-1 before offensive lineman Alex Palczewski was penalized for a false start. After the penalty backed the team up five yards, Denver settled for a 26-yard Wil Lutz field goal to make it 17-7. The highlight of that drive was a 35-yard run from running back Jaleel McLaughlin. Stidham ended up playing the entire first half and he connected with Franklin again late in the second quarter on a 17-yard touchdown pass to extend the lead to 24-7. After Lutz missed a 64-yard field goal attempt, the Broncos took a 17-point lead into halftime. Stidham finished his night 16-of-23 passing for 240 yards with two touchdowns. Lutz later converted a 35-yard field goal in the third quarter to extend the lead to 27-7. Sam Ehlinger took over at quarterback in the second half and he threw what would have been a touchdown pass to Caden Prieskorn late in the fourth quarter, but the tight end fumbled the ball and the Cardinals recovered it in the end zone for a touchback. It didn't take long for Denver to get the ball back and run out the clock, securing a 27-7 victory. On the injury front, backup offensive lineman Nick Gargiulo was carted off the field in the third quarter and was quickly ruled out with a knee injury. Gargiulo has been competing for a backup swing guard/center role. Outside linebacker Garrett Wilson also left in the fourth quarter with an ankle injury. Up next for the Broncos is a preseason finale against the New Orleans Saints next weekend. Social: Follow Broncos Wire on Facebook and Twitter/X! Did you know: These 25 celebrities are Broncos fans. This article originally appeared on Broncos Wire: Broncos vs. Cardinals: Final score and game recap
Yahoo
26 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Twitter reacts to Broncos' 27-7 win over Cardinals
The Denver Broncos dominated the Arizona Cardinals with a 27-7 preseason win on Saturday evening. Here's a sampling of how fans and pundits reacted to the game on Twitter/X. Up next for the Broncos is a preseason finale against the New Orleans Saints next weekend. Social: Follow Broncos Wire on Facebook and Twitter/X! Did you know: These 25 celebrities are Broncos fans. This article originally appeared on Broncos Wire: Denver Broncos: Twitter reacts to big preseason win vs. Cardinals
San Francisco Chronicle
27 minutes ago
- San Francisco Chronicle
Patriots rookies Henderson and Chism shine in preseason win over Vikings
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — New England rookies TreVeyon Henderson and Efton Chism III each had another preseason touchdown, and the Patriots beat the Minnesota Vikings 20-12 on Saturday. Henderson, the second-round draft pick from national champion Ohio State who's been turning heads in training camp and tracking toward a prominent role in the backfield, rushed for 20 yards with an 8-yard score on four carries during a two-drive stint for the first-team offense. Henderson had a 100-yard kickoff return for a touchdown last week. The Patriots held a handful of projected starters out, including four-time Pro Bowl wide receiver Stefon Diggs, who's returning from a torn ACL in his right knee suffered halfway through his lone season with the Houston Texans. Second-year quarterback Drake Maye started against an all-backups Vikings defense and went 4 for 7 for 46 yards with a delay-of-game penalty and an overthrow that was nearly intercepted but dropped by Tavierre Thomas. Chism made another compelling case for a regular-season roster spot with six receptions from backup QB Joshua Dobbs for 71 yards and a score. He caught a short throw on third-and-9 from the 12 and broke six tackle attempts as he twisted and muscled his way into the end zone. With Diggs, DeMario Douglas, Kayshon Boutte and veterans Kendrick Bourne and Mack Hollins on the Patriots' roster, there might be only one opening for a wide receiver. Chism, who was undrafted out of Eastern Washington, will certainly get a long look. He had a 12-yard touchdown catch last week. Stroud, who sat out in last week's 20-10 loss at Minnesota, played two series Saturday, going 6 for 8 for 44 yards. The Texans punted on their first possession before Stroud connected with Nico Collins on a 5-yard touchdown pass on fourth down to cap the second drive and make it 7-0. Collins is coming off consecutive 1,000-yard seasons after he led the Texans with 68 receptions for 1,006 yards and seven touchdowns despite missing five games with an injury. Nick Chubb ran five times for 25 yards in his Texans' debut after spending his first seven seasons in Cleveland. Chubb played with the starters with Joe Mixon out recovering from a foot injury he sustained this offseason. Stroud, who has led the Texans to the postseason in both of his first two seasons, has a new offensive coordinator this year in Nick Caley after the former Patriots and Rams assistant was hired this offseason following the firing of Bobby Slowik. Carolina's Bryce Young, the first overall pick in the 2023 draft when Stroud was taken second, failed to move the offense in two drives. He was 0 for 2 and was sacked once Saturday after directing the offense for two drives with a TD pass in last week's 30-10 loss to Cleveland. BROWNS 22, EAGLES 13 PHILADELPHIA (AP) — The Cleveland Browns had to turn to other quarterbacks with rookie Shedeur Sanders injured. The decisive touchdown came on defense instead of from relief QBs. K.J. Henry returned an interception 45 yards for a score in the third quarter to send Cleveland to a preseason win over Philadelphia. In a game missing almost all regular-season starters on both sides — Jalen Hurts and Saquon Barkley sat out for the defending Super Bowl champions while Myles Garrett and Jerry Jeudy rested for the Browns — the Eagles got a better look at their draft picks fighting for playing time. Andrew Mukuba returned an interception 75 yards for a score and recovered a fumble, and Jihaad Campbell had a sack, an impressive showing for the Eagles' top two 2025 draft picks. DOLPHINS 24, LIONS 17 DETROIT (AP) — Backup quarterback Zach Wilson had a strong first half and third-stringer Quinn Ewers threw for two second-half touchdowns as Miami beat Detroit. The teams had a pair of joint practices earlier in the week. Both teams' starters participated in those workouts, but Saturday's game was all about the reserves who are trying to earn roster spots. Wilson, the Dolphins' No. 2 QB behind Tua Tagovailoa, completed 15 of 23 passes for 151 yards and a touchdown. Ewers went 11 of 17 for 116 yards. The Lions also took a long look at their second- and third-string quarterbacks with Jared Goff on the sideline. Kyle Allen impressed in the first half, going 14 for 17 with 124 yards and two scores. Hendon Hooker struggled in the final two quarters, completing 6 of 13 throws for 61 yards and an interception. Ollie Gordon II had 50 yards rushing for the Lions on 10 carries. Jacob Saylor had 13 carries for 39 yards. The Dolphins took a 7-0 lead on Wilson's 11-yard pass to Dee Eskridge late in the first quarter. Detroit tied the game midway through the second on Allen's 11-yard pass to Jackson Meeks. PACKERS 23, COLTS 19 INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Anthony Richardson completed six of his first eight passes, leading Indianapolis to a touchdown on his first series before Green Bay rallied late for a victory. Quarterback Sean Clifford scored on an 11-yard run with 1:31 left to put the Packers ahead. Jason Bean then took the Colts to the Green Bay 31-yard line in the final minute before the rally fell short. While Clifford finished strong, Richardson started fast. He played nearly the entire second quarter and capped Indy's best drive of the preseason with Tyler Goodson's 3-yard TD run. Richardson also took advantage of a fumble recovery to set up the second of Spencer Shrader's four field goals. The Packers' only first-half score came on a 43-yard field goal to end the second quarter. They cut the deficit to 13-10 on Israel Abanikanda's 3-yard TD run in the third quarter, tied the score at 16 on Amar Johnson's 9-yard scoring run. Green Bay missed the extra point. Clifford's scoring run gave Green Bay its only lead of the game. Packers coach Matt LaFleur held out 29 players, including quarterback Jordan Love two days after the teams held a joint practice. Love had surgery to repair a ligament in his left thumb earlier this week. Malik Willis went 6 of 14 with 83 yards in place of Love. Clifford ran twice for 19 yards. 49ERS 22, RAIDERS 19 LAS VEGAS (AP) — Raiders rookie Ashton Jeanty proved he could deliver hits and absorb them at the NFL level, rushing for a bruising 33 yards and a touchdown on seven carries in Las Vegas' 22-19 preseason loss to San Francisco. Jake Moody made a 59-yard field goal as time expired for the 49ers (1-1). He also converted a 44-yarder with 37 seconds remaining to tie the game, and then Jaylen Mahoney intercepted Raiders quarterback Cam Miller to set up the winner. Moody made 5 of 6 field goals while Daniel Carlson made all four of his tries for the Raiders (0-1-1). Brock Purdy played the first series for the 49ers, which ended in a field goal. He was 5 of 7 for 66 yards. Backup Mac Jones completed 13 of 16 passes for 135 yards with an interception, and former Raider Carter Bradley led the tying and winning drives and finished 8 of 13 for 96 yards. Star running back Christian McCaffrey did not play for the 49ers. Geno Smith completed 6 of 8 passes for 55 yards as the Raiders' first-team offense played the first two series. The Raiders scored 10 points on those drives. Aidan O'Connell guided the team into the fourth quarter, finishing 15 of 23 for 138 yards with an interception. GIANTS 31, JETS 12 EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. (AP) — Getting snaps with the first-team offense, then throwing for a touchdown and running for another with the backups, Jaxson Dart shined in his new home stadium debut for the New York Giants as part of a victory against the Jets in each team's second preseason game. The rookie first-round pick whom the Giants envision as their long-term franchise quarterback got a chance to show a little bit of how he could contribute in the near future by subbing in for starter Russell Wilson mid-drive and connecting with Theo Johnson on a 30-yard pass. Dart capped a 71-yard second half-opening drive with a TD throw to Greg Dulcich and scored on a goal-line sneak to finish another after completing 13 consecutive passes. Dart was 14 of 16 for 137 yards, delivering on the hype under the lights at MetLife Stadium before giving way to Jameis Winston. Wilson had his own highlight, throwing his so-called 'moon ball' to undrafted free agent Beaux Collins for an 80-yard gain. The 36-year-old had another intercepted because of a miscommunication with Collins, his final throw of a 4 of 7, 108-yard performance. While the Giants (2-0) got clicking, questions remain on offense for Justin Fields and the Jets (1-1). He left after two run-heavy series 1 of 5 for 4 yards, with Nick Folk's 38-yard field goal the only points the starters got on the board. BUCCANEERS 17, STEELERS 14 PITTSBURGH (AP) — Newly signed veteran quarterback Teddy Bridgewater threw a pair of first-quarter touchdowns, and Tampa Bay topped Pittsburgh. Chase McLaughlin hit a 42-yard field goal as time expired to win it for the Buccaneers (2-0). Tampa Bay linebacker Antonio Grier's 36-yard interception return set up the kick. Bridgewater, who joined the Buccaneers last week after being suspended from his high school coaching job in Miami for self-reporting that he provided financial benefits to his players, was sharp in his three series of work. The 10-year veteran completed 6 of 11 passes for 85 yards and two scores. He found running back Bucky Irving for a 15-yard touchdown and later delivered a pretty 5-yard lob to the back corner of the end zone that rookie first-round pick Emeka Egbuka pulled in with a sliding grab from his knees. Mason Rudolph, making his second straight preseason start while Aaron Rodgers watched from the sideline, threw a 2-yard score to Brandon Johnson but also threw a pick that set up Tampa Bay's first score. Many of the bold-faced names for both sides were given the night off. Quarterback Baker Mayfield, wide receiver Mike Evans and linebacker Lavonte David didn't suit up for Tampa Bay. The Steelers (1-1) sat almost all of their high-profile veterans, from quarterback Aaron Rodgers to All-Pro linebacker T.J. Watt to offseason acquisitions DK Metcalf and Jalen Ramsey. RAMS 23, CHARGERS 22 INGLEWOOD, Calif. (AP) — Stetson Bennett rebounded from throwing a fourth-quarter interception to 305-pound defensive tackle TeRah Edwards, hitting Tru Edwards with an 8-yard touchdown pass with 5 seconds left while leading the Los Angeles Rams to a victory over the Los Angeles Chargers. Bennett passed for 324 yards and three scores in his second straight sharp preseason performance — even if he failed to anticipate the ball-hawking skill and silky lateral movement of the hulking Edwards, who never had an interception in five seasons split between Northwestern and Illinois. The rookie picked off Bennett's throw, thundered downfield and even threw a head fake before plowing over Bennett and finally tripping at midfield to end his 29-yard return with 6:35 to play, setting off an unsurprisingly unhinged celebration on the Bolts' sideline. But Bennett shook it off with the poise of a two-time national champion and drove the Rams (2-0) downfield in the final seconds. Brennan Presley made an acrobatic 40-yard catch between two defenders with 11 seconds to play, setting up Edwards' winning catch on the next play. Justin Herbert went 2 of 5 for 46 yards while playing the opening series in his first-ever preseason game for the Chargers (2-1), who were the visiting team at the clubs' shared stadium. RAVENS 31, COWBOYS 13 ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) — Cooper Rush threw a touchdown pass and a pick-6 in his return to AT&T Stadium, and rookie Tyler Loop kicked five field goals as Baltimore beat Dallas. D'Ernest Johnson ran for a 2-yard touchdown in the fourth quarter for the Ravens (2-0). Loop — the likely replacement for Justin Tucker, who was released in the offseason after he was accused of inappropriate behavior by massage therapists — connected from 53, 52, 42, 36 and 29 yards while missing from 50. Cornerback Andrew Booth picked off Rush and returned it 40 yards for a TD, and Brandon Aubrey kicked field goals of 47 and 36 yards for the Cowboys (0-2). Rush, who spent the previous seven seasons as Dak Prescott's Dallas backup before signing as a free agent with Baltimore, flipped a 1-yard TD pass while backpedaling to Keith Kirkwood on a fourth-down play early in the second quarter. Rush played the first half, going 20 of 30 for 198 yards with two interceptions. Rush's first pick was a throw behind receiver LaJohntay Wester. Booth grabbed it and raced down the left sideline, avoiding tacklers during the final 10 yards. BRONCOS 27, CARDINALS 7 DENVER (AP) — Troy Franklin caught two touchdown passes from Jarrett Stidham and Denver rolled over Arizona in a matchup of mostly backups. With both teams sitting the majority of their starters following a productive and spirited joint practice on Thursday, Stidham followed up a spectacular preseason debut in relief of Bo Nix at San Francisco with another stellar performance. He completed 16 of 23 passes for 240 yards and TDs of 27 and 17 yards to Franklin before giving way to Sam Ehlinger in the second half. Ehlinger completed 14 of 16 passes for 162 yards.
