FOXBORO – Drake Maye’s second game against the New England Patriots felt more familiar.
For college football fans eyeing Chapel Hill, the University of North Carolina was a haven for the third pick to showcase his athleticism over his final two seasons. But in his first preseason game with the Patriots, Maye was limited to just six snaps.
His skills — strong arm, running game acumen and size — weren’t on display last week against the Carolina Panthers. He never got a chance to inspire confidence in Patriots fans, but that wasn’t the case Thursday night against the Philadelphia Eagles.
Patriot fans witnessed Maye’s intangible performances, as did new coach Jerod Mayo in the second quarter against the Eagles. The young quarterback led two consecutive drives after incumbent starter Jacoby Brissett left the field after the first quarter.
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Maye gave the Patriots the lead before giving way to Joe Milton and Bailey Zappe, but New England ultimately lost by 14–13 goal at Gillette Stadium.
What Patriots coach Jerod Mayo had to say about Drake Maye’s performance
“Once you can connect the language you learned in college with the language you’re learning, the game becomes a little easier from an Xs and Os perspective,” Mayo said. “I’m excited to see him build on where he is today. But he’s done a lot of good things.”
“We always talk about competition, and that goes for all positions. Even if (Maye) beats out Jacoby (Brissett), he’s earned that role. And we don’t really take that into account, if he’s ready, and if he’s better than (Brissett), then he’ll play; he’ll start.”
A look at Maye’s statistics
Maye entered the game at his own 29-yard line early in the second quarter. A false start on second down put New England behind and the rookie, coming out of shotgun position, ran from the right side. Maye gave the Patriots a chance on third-and-5 with the 6-yard gain.
And when he faced a three-and-out, the 21-year-old stepped up and threw a strike to fellow rookie Javon Baker, who got him 12 yards on a dig. Maye, facing the Eagles’ rush, then found Mitchell Wilcox with a boot for a 4-yard gain. Nolan Smith was penalized for roughing the passer on the play, and the Patriots’ possession was reduced to the 33-yard line.
From then on, the attack stalled, but not before Joey Slye scored a 45-yard field goal to make it 3-3 with 11:06 minutes left in the second quarter.
“He’s developed tremendously — all of these guys, actually,” Ja’Lynn Polk said of Maye. “It’s just great to see every day the progress they’re making for the team and this offense. It’s great to be a part of it.”
On Maye’s second drive, he put the Patriots ahead with a 4-yard touchdown run from the zone read. But again, it was a third-down completion, this time to JaMycal Hasty, that extended the scoring drive. Maye found the running back as he crossed his face for a 23-yard catch-and-run out of the backfield.
After a few hasty runs, Maye ended the nine-scoring attack with a short run, giving the Patriots a 10-3 lead at halftime.
“I think every time you go out there you get more confident,” Maye said. “First of all, it’s always the nerves the first time you go out there and run out there. But other than that, more reps just help me.”
His third series, albeit a three-and-out, showed the strength of his over-the-middle arm. Baker lost his defender in a post and Maye threw an easy 55-yard toss, but Baker couldn’t secure the pass before he fell to the ground. Maye completed just one pass on his fourth and final series, with no gains for Polk.
But the rookie played with almost the entire starting offensive line — save for David Andrews. And his receiver corps was a rotating group led by Baker and Polk.
“We hope that these guys can grow up together and develop together,” Mayo said. “And we have a good core of guys in the future, and that’s kind of what we were aiming for.”
Under X: @ByJacobRousseau
This article originally appeared in the Providence Journal: Drake Maye: Quarterback leads two consecutive scoring drives against the Eagles
