New England Patriots
“That’s one of the biggest things,” Maye said. “Coach has instilled confidence in us as an offense.”
Drake Maye Matthew J. Lee/The Boston Globe
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At the end of Sunday’s win against the Bills, CBS’s cameras landed on Drake Maye pumping his fist and smiling as he looked up.
For the first time this season, the Patriots quarterback looked like he did last year: poised, confident, and capable of leading a key fourth-quarter drive.
After a rough three weeks to open the season, New England picked up a much-needed divisional win against rival Buffalo, one that had Maye’s teammates screaming “We ain’t dead yet” in the locker room.
At the podium Sunday afternoon, Maye let out a deep breath before speaking about his emotions.
“I think we’ve definitely got to build off of it,” Maye said. “It’s relieving a little bit, but I think we’ve got some work left out there … I’m just proud of the way the guys fought. Nobody blinked when they were on the sideline and they scored and went up 26-21. We just did what we do, and just thankful for the guys stepping up.”
The Patriots seemed to regain some of the swagger that they had last season. Maye stepped up confidently in the pocket, trusting his offensive line more than he had previously. The defense held on long enough for Josh Allen to make a hideous mistake, spinning out of a potential sack, only to throw an interception into double coverage.
The Patriots went for it twice on fourth down and converted both times. They showed early that they were willing to take risks, and it helped put them in position to win.
“You play Josh Allen, you’re going to have to be aggressive,” Vrabel said. “We can hope and wish that you can stop him … he’s never out of it. We can try to stay aggressive in our moments and the guys rewarded us by converting.”
After a long week of talk about Maye’s struggles during the first three games, his shoulder injury, and the Patriots’ blowout loss to Jacksonville, Maye completed six of his first seven passes against Buffalo.
It didn’t take long for two more turnovers to appear. Maye lost a fumble and threw an interception on a bizarre play where Romeo Doubs dove for a low throw and wound up knocking the ball into the air where Buffalo’s Dee Alford was waiting.
Maye didn’t allow the turnovers to get him down. His perseverance paid off when he threw it to Efton Chism for a 23-yard one-handed go-ahead touchdown catch.
New England’s aggressiveness and ability to convert those fourth downs helped build momentum and confidence on offense, Maye said.
“That’s one of the biggest things,” Maye said. “Coach has instilled confidence in us as an offense. You saw it last year. We stay in that huddle. He used to say if we wander off into the sideline he’s going to go punt it, but if we stay in the huddle and get going on fourth down, he’ll go for it. We’ve got to make him right. We did that a few times.”
Former Patriots receiver Troy Brown said getting those fourth-down conversions is a “huge confidence boost” for the team.
“Just the way it was played was so aggressive,” Brown said during the Patriots’ postgame show. “Going for it on fourth down and being able to make it, it does a world of good for your confidence in your team and your team’s confidence going forward.”
Heading into this Sunday’s game 2-2 instead of 1-3 makes things feel very different. The Patriots, as Vrabel said, are back in the race.
Maye showed a renewed sense of confidence following a rough stretch. He was one of several teammates who earned a game ball on Sunday.
“Hey, we ain’t taking no more [expletive],” Vrabel said in the locker room after the game, pointing the ball at Maye before handing it to him.
The quarterback beamed as he grabbed the ball. The coach told the players he couldn’t be more proud.
Khari A. Thompson
Khari Thompson covers professional sports for Boston.com. Before joining the team in 2022, Khari covered college football for The Clarion Ledger in Jackson, Miss.
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