New England Patriots rookie quarterback Drake Maye is receiving praise after his strong performance in Thursday night’s preseason game against the Philadelphia Eagles.
Maye scored a touchdown and completed six of 11 passes while seeing playing time in the second and third quarters of a 14-13 loss to the Eagles.
Despite the loss, Maye showed signs of brilliance in his game, earning him praise from many for his decisions and shots.
This included former NFL player and manager and current ESPN pundit Louis Riddick, who tweeted: “Drake Maye. Let him play.”
The man known as “Boston Connor” on the Pat McAfee Show also tweeted his approval, saying, “Drake Maye is the real deal. Thank you Jesus.”
Drake Maye celebrates with wide receiver Ja’Lynn Polk after a rushing touchdown
Maye completed six of 11 passes in a preseason loss to the Philadelphia Eagles
Joey Slye, who is competing with incumbent Chad Ryland for the starting job, kicked two field goals for New England. The Patriots (1-1) finished the game with 11 first downs, but only four of those came in the final two quarters.
The Patriots led 13-6 in the fourth quarter when the Eagles caught up. Rookie running back Kendall Milton ran for a 1-yard touchdown and Tanner McGee combined with Ainias Smith to score the decisive 2-point conversion.
Jake Elliott also kicked two field goals for Philadelphia (2-0).
The Patriots’ Week 1 starter Jacoby Brissett had a disappointing first quarter performance before being replaced by Maye.
New England went three-and-out on the game’s first possession. The Patriots’ second drive ended when Brissett was intercepted in the end zone by Philadelphia’s Avonte Maddox.
After another three-and-out, Brissett was done and finished the game 3-of-7 for 17 yards.
When Maye checked in before the start of the second quarter, he received a nice round of applause from the sparse crowd at Gillette Stadium.
He gave fans even more reason to cheer after connecting on a 12-yard toss with fellow rookie Javon Baker on third down – a 51-yard throw that helped New England finally tie the score at 3-3 after Slye’s 51-yard throw.
On social media, Maye was praised for his performance despite the defeat in the previous season
Maye ran into the end zone from 4 yards out on the first play after the two-minute warning, giving New England a 10-3 halftime lead.
Mayes’ performance in the third quarter started off rocky when he dropped the ball, but the Patriots recovered. New England managed just one third down in the third quarter and that came on defensive pass interference.
Two days after the Eagles participated in a joint practice against the Patriots, Philadelphia decided to bench starting QB Jalen Hurts for the second straight preseason game. Backup Kenny Pickett played the entire first half, completing 11 of 13 passes, but only for 67 yards.
The Eagles failed to reach the end zone, scoring their only points in the two quarters on a 42-yard run by Elliott. He added a 38-yard run in the fourth quarter.
New England brought in Bailey Zappe with 2:25 left after rookie Joe Milton III completed 2 of 7 passes for 20 yards and failed to lead the offense to a first down on the ensuing drive after the Eagles took a lead with 4:23 left.
Zappe’s attempt at a comeback ended when Philadelphia recovered a failed snap and played out the remaining 1:47 minutes.
McGee started the second half for the Eagles and finished 15 of 19 passing for 140 yards. Will Grier, who spent part of last season on New England’s practice squad, completed 3 of 5 for 35 yards for Philadelphia.
