New England Patriots - NESN.com
Sunday’s Week 5 road game against the Buffalo Bills was the biggest game of Drake Maye’s young career thus far, and he delivered.
Facing an undefeated division rival on Sunday Night Football, Maye rose to the occasion, outdueling reigning NFL MVP Josh Allen and guiding the New England Patriots to a 23-20 upset win in the first primetime start of his career.
The second-year quarterback was efficient against one of the best defenses in the NFL, completing 22 of his 30 pass attempts for 273 yards while adding 12 yards on the ground.
Most impressively, he stepped up with the game on the line in the fourth quarter. With the score tied at 20-20 and just over two minutes remaining, Maye marched the Patriots down the field, setting up Andres Borregales’ game-winning 52-yard field goal with 20 seconds left.
Maye opened the game-winning drive with an amazing 12-yard pass to Stefon Diggs as he was getting dragged down by a Bills defender, avoiding the sack and picking up a key first down right before the two-minute warning.
After the game, The Ringer’s Bill Simmons coined a new nickname for his beloved quarterback on “The Bill Simmons Podcast” with Cousin Sal.
“Say it Sal. ‘Drake Definitely’ was the man of the game,” Simmons said. “My guy! My guy! I never stopped believing. ‘Drake Definitely’ came through.”
Cousin Sal trolled Simmons earlier this season by calling Maye “Dake Maybe” after New England got off to a 1-2 start. Sal, a Dallas Cowboys fan, isn’t as high on Maye as Simmons, pointing to the Patriots’ Week 1 loss to the Las Vegas Raiders and close win over the Miami Dolphins in Week 2.
After winning three of its last four games, however, New England appears to be trending in the right direction thanks to the improved play of its 23-year-old quarterback.
