Pats Pulpit
The New England Patriots have officially concluded their first month under head coach Mike Vrabel with a 2-2 record. As wide receiver Stefon Diggs says: not too bad.
“Coming out of the quarter of the season, the first quarter, 2-2 is not bad,” Diggs said Sunday. “Could it be better? Yes.”
The record has set Vrabel’s team up well with an upcoming stretch of winnable games after a primetime battle with the Buffalo Bills. But, perhaps the most encouraging takeaway from September has been the play of sophomore quarterback Drake Maye.
Through four games, Maye has played like a top-10 quarterback operating one of the most productive and efficient passing games in football (with a rushing attack that ranks dead last in EPA/play).
By the numbers, Maye ranks fourth in EPA/play (+0.29), fifth in completion percentage over expectation (+8.7%), seventh in drop-back success rate (52.1%), and is 11th in QBR (63.9). For more traditional numbers, Maye is first in completion percentage (74.0%), sixth in passing yards (988), tied for eighth in passing touchdowns (8), and fifth in passer rating (109.4).
While it’s a small sample size and Las Vegas, Miami, Pittsburgh, and Carolina is not exactly murderer’s row, New England has to feel good about where their 23-year-old quarterback is at. Plus, they must continue to feel strongly about the pairing of Maye with offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels.
In a 42-13 blowout victory over the Carolina Panthers on Sunday, Maye continues to look more and more comfortable in the drop back passing game while McDaniels continues to take advantage of his QB’s elite physical tools.
As we’ve discussed in recent weeks, McDaniels has kept up the moving pockets to use Maye’s mobility to his advantage. New England’s first offensive score against Carolina came on a bootleg where Maye is able to take it himself with no receiver open (while tight end Austin Hooper also does a nice job transitioning to a blocker).
McDaniels continued with a similar action later in the game again moving Maye to his non-arm side — a change from the bootlegs in recent weeks — while the continued uptick of pre-snap motion (DeMario Douglas) helps confuse Carolina’s secondary with Hunter Henry then running underneath.
While Henry originally is caught up in the backfield, he does a strong job to free himself while the threat of Maye’s mobility then draws two defenders. The quarterback’s athleticism allows him to drop his arm angle on the run and fit it between the pair of Panthers to find his tight end, who does the rest of the work for a 31-yard touchdown.
“To be able to extend plays, move the pocket and move the launch point is critical,” Vrabel said. “Those plays have helped us and he’s done a good job with them.”
As a traditional passer, Maye decisively moved the football throughout the afternoon while his chemistry with wide receiver Stefon Diggs continues to grow. The duo did their best work late in downs, another area Maye has shined...
