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On Sunday, the New England Patriots will face the Los Angeles Chargers in the AFC Wild Card game. For New Englanders, it is a much-welcomed return after finishing 4-13 the previous season and in last place in the AFC East.
Even though he doesn’t have playoff experience, QB Drake Maye knows what it will take to keep the Patriots in the hunt for a shot at the Super Bowl, per Mark Daniels of MassLive.
“I have to play well for us to win,” he said. This year, Maye threw for 4,394 yards along with 31 touchdowns. Additionally, he finished with a 72.0% pass completion rate and a QB rating of 113.5. Meanwhile, the Patriots went 14-3 during the regular season and won the AFC East division title.
Maye is only in his second season in the NFL. Now he faces the daunting task of leading the Patriots through the postseason. It marks the first time since 2021 that the Patriots have played in the postseason.
That season, they made it to the AFC Wild Card game, losing to the Buffalo Bills 47-17. In 2024, Maye was selected as the 3rd overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft by New England out of the University of North Carolina.
Luckily for Maye, he isn’t on an island by himself. There have been previous rookie QBs who embraced the task of leading their teams through the playoffs and succeeded. Among those names are Jayden Daniels, C.J. Stroud, Brock Purdy, Mac Jones, and Lamar Jackson, to name a few.
In 2024, Daniels led the Washington Commanders to a 45-31 win over the Detroit Lions in the NFC Championship game. One year prior, a young C.J. Stroud propelled the Houston Texans to a victory over the Cleveland Browns in the Wild Card game.
History has shown it can be done.
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