ClutchPoints
One of the surprises of the NFL season so far has been Drake Maye and the New England Patriots racing out to one of the best records in the AFC through the first half of the season. With nine weeks in the books, the second-year quarterback has led the Patriots to a 7-2 record, tied for the best mark in the NFL, and is a leading MVP candidate.
Part of that team success boils down to the schedule. While the Patriots did get a very impressive victory in prime time over the Buffalo Bills, a lot of their schedule has been against the last-place teams from a year ago.
On Sunday, Maye and company will get a chance to put any doubters to bed on Sunday when they head on the road to take on the 6-2 Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Even after losing Liam Coen, Baker Mayfield and the Bucs have continued to roll and are in firm control of the NFC South at the halfway point.
Mayfield was also hanging around in the MVP conversation earlier in the season, but a rough showing against the Lions has cooled some of that buzz. Now the focus is on Maye heading into one of his biggest games of the season.
While Tampa Bay will provide a stingier test than most of New England’s schedule, the North Carolina product will still be able to get his game off on Sunday. Here’s why.
Buccaneers head coach Todd Bowles has become known for his exotic pressure packages throughout his time in the NFL, both as a defensive coordinator and a head coach. That has been no different this season, as the Bucs still love to heat up an opposing quarterback.
Of course, they get more chances to do that on obvious passing downs when opposing teams have to pick up big yards on late downs. Tampa Bay has been getting to those downs consistently this year with its improved run defense. Through nine weeks, the Bucs have the sixth-best EPA per rush allowed and have the fifth-best stuff rate in the league, stopping opposing runs for no gain or a loss of yards nearly 20% of the time.
The Bucs should continue to have success in that department against a Patriots offense that has struggled to run the ball efficiently and might be playing without Rhamondre Stevenson in this game. That’s where Maye comes in.
The second-year signal caller is no stranger to playing through pressure behind an improved, but still flawed New England offensive line. He is being pressured on nearly 40% of his dropbacks according to Next Gen Stats, the fifth-highest mark in the league among qualified passers.
Tampa Bay is getting plenty of pressure this season, notching the fourth-highest pressure rate in the NFL at over 39%. Maye is still prone to taking some sacks when under pressure, which should allow the Bucs to create some negative plays. However, the damage...
