FOXBOROUGH, Mass. -- Drake Maye is rolling again and his New England Patriots teammates can’t help but take notice.
“It’s just fun to see Drake smiling big on the sidelines. That confidence is obviously back,” linebacker Robert Spillane said in the aftermath of Sunday’s 45-17 win over the Las Vegas Raiders (3-2).
Maye’s turnaround from the first three games of the season has been dramatic. After throwing only one touchdown with six interceptions in the team’s 1-2 start, and being sacked nine times, he has completed 67.6% of his passes with seven touchdowns and one interception over the past two games, while being sacked only twice.
Maye had a season-high 96.0 Total QBR -- the third best of his career -- against the Raiders while benefitting from strong offensive line play (only two pressures in the first half) that he said allowed him to “eat a ham sandwich” in the pocket on his first scoring pass because of how much time had. Maye became the first player this season with a Total QBR of 90 or better in back-to-back games. His Total QBR over the first three games was 49.
One thing that worked well Sunday was Maye’s deep ball. He finished 6-of-9 for 182 yards and two touchdown passes on throws 15-plus yards downfield, which tied for his second-most such completions in a game in his career. In the Patriots’ first four games of the season, he completed only 43.8% of those throws with one total TD.
“That’s our leader,” receiver DeMario “Pop” Douglas said of the 24-year-old Maye. “How he carries himself means a lot. It’s by example. I feel like for us, we need to carry ourselves that way too -- ups and downs, you still have to stay straight.
“From those past games, anybody could have been down on themselves. Not him. He came to work, and he was still like, ‘I need you. I got your back.’ That’s what has been taking us to the next step.”
Maye earned game balls from coach Mike Vrabel each of the past two weeks. When Vrabel presented it to him after a Week 4 road win over the Buffalo Bills, he told him that the time for taking flak from detractors was over, according to video on Patriots.com. Maye and the Patriots (3-2) look to continue the surge Sunday when they host the New York Jets (2-3).
The shift has come despite a run of injuries ravaging the depth chart, especially at receiver, running back, fullback and along the offensive line. And Maye still sees “juice left to squeeze” with the offense, pointing out the unit has yet to produce a turnover-free game.
He said Sunday that he took joy in watching 2026 first-round pick Caleb Lomu thrust into a challenging spot at left tackle in place of injured Will Campbell, as well as others such as Douglas (four catches, 65 yards, two TDs) and Kyle Williams (three catches, 91 yards, TD) seizing an expanded receiving role because of injuries to A.J. Brown (ankle) and Mack Hollins (calf).
Likewise, the Patriots might need to rely more on No. 3 running back Corey Kiner and practice-squad rusher Lan Larison after losing speedy TreVeyon Henderson to an ankle injury Sunday.
The Patriots also won Sunday despite playing with only three healthy cornerbacks, as veteran Kindle Vildor -- who was signed to the 53-man roster from the practice squad the day before -- earned a game ball for his competitive coverage and a forced fumble.
“I’m just proud of the guys for stepping up -- offense, defense, overall as a football team,” Maye said. “We talk about ‘identity’ with Coach Vrabel. That’s a Coach Vrabel football team.
“I think one of the best things about my position is being able to spread the wealth and watch guys succeed. It’s beautiful to watch.”
Summing up his two-game surge, Maye said his confidence has never wavered.
“It’s really just an example of practice execution showing up in the game,” he said. “That’s the biggest thing I can maybe hint at.”