Drake Maye throws INT in Week 2 win

Maye and the Patriots struggled to tame an unrelenting Chicago pass rush and were unable to move the football on the ground effectively, two cariables that led to an early deficit against the Bears. Their first half possessions went turnover on downs, three-and-out, three-and-out, touchdown, interception before a wild series to end the second quarter. Caleb Williams led a touchdown drive that left only 14 seconds on the clock. After an 18-yard completion to A.J. Brown, just three seconds remained with the ball near midfield. That’s when Maye dumped the ball off to Rhamondre Stevenson in the flat underneath deep prevent coverage, and Stevenson did the rest on a touchdown that never should have happened to bring the game to a one-possession game. Maye’s other touchdown toss was a beautiful bread-basket throw to rookie tight end Eli Raridon up the seam, adding a score on a grit-play rushing touchdown early in the second quarter. It goes down as Maye’s fourth consecutive QB1 fantasy performance after starting the season leading the league in turnovers through three weeks. The 4-3 Patriots get a mini-bye ahead of a divisional meeting against the Dolphins in Week 8, where Maye will remain an upside QB1.

Maye added four carries for 24 yards rushing. The three-score passing effort was his third in as many weeks, while he is now up to 11 total touchdowns during his three-game hot streak. Good stuff, though it could have been much better. Maye lost No. 2 receiver Romeo Doubs to an early shoulder injury after he housed a 42-yard touchdown, while returning “No. 1" A.J. Brown had a nightmarish day with 4-5 drops, including several long gains and a potential score or two. Pop Douglas also lost a fumble at the end of a long catch-and-run. Unfortunate, but Maye is at least playing well enough again that those miscues merely held back his final box score instead of ruining it. He now has a likely short-week shootout in Thursday’s Bears road tilt.

Maye had all day to operate in the pocket against a Raiders front seven that entered Week 5 with the league’s ninth highest pressure rate and fourth highest quick pressure rate. He attacked the Vegas secondary downfield from start to finish, hitting Kyle Williams and Pop Douglas for long touchdowns, and Williams for another long gain that put the Pats inside the five yard line. Maye’s rushing score came on a green scramble in the third quarter. Fully emerged from his early-season struggles, Maye is once again carving up opposing coverage units and causing fits with his scrambling ability. Maye, with eight total touchdowns over his past two outings, should be locked into lineups next week against a middling Jets secondary.

Maye also added 53 yards rushing on eight carries. This was easily the best game of Maye’s season. The Bills had pressure in his face often, but Maye was frequently able to evade pass rushers and pick up chunk gains with his legs. When he did have time to throw, he ripped off big passes downfield and could have even had a bigger day after a potential 40+ yard pass slipped through Romeo Doubs’ hands in the fourth quarter. Maye did wince and grab his right shoulder on one hit, so that will be something to watch during practice this week, but we don’t expect him to miss any time. The bad news is that Maye figures to be without Mack Hollins (calf) in Week 5, and A.J. Brown (ankle) is not yet ready to return, so Maye will play with limited options next week against the Raiders.

No real surprises here. Benford was listed as questionable heading into the day, but he didn’t practice at all this week so he was never likely to play. Rookie Davison Igbinosun is likely to step into his spot opposite Maxwell Hairston, which makes the Bills young and inexperienced on the boundary. Perhaps Drake Maye could finally take advantage of that on the way to his first truly good fantasy game of the season.

We are happy to see that the Patriots’ quarterback is practicing fully, but this is a new injury for Maye. He notably dealt with a throwing shoulder injury during the Patriots’ playoff run last season. His listing raises questions as to whether there might be a lingering issue. We expect a follow-up report on this in the coming days.

Maye, after another meltdown in Week 3 against the Jaguars, has now posted a negative drop back EPA in six dtraight outings dating back to last season. Against Jacksonville on Sunday he posted a meager 40 percent drop back success rate, the fifth lowest of the week. “What’s fallen apart with Maye looks like it’s between the ears as much as anything physical,” Graff said. “He looks like a quarterback whose confidence is shot.” Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel said this week that Maye needs to calm down if things are going to turn around. “We need to stop trying to choke the life out of every single play,” Vrabel said during his Monday radio appearance. “We need to relax.” Maye through Week 3 ranks 32nd in fantasy points per drop back, below the likes of Daniel Jones and Cam Ward. It will be tough to start Maye in Week 4 against Buffalo if there are other viable QB options on the waiver wire.

He fumbled twice, losing one to the Jags defense. Maye was under duress and missing routine throws for most of this game. He also had a long touchdown throw and a rushing touchdown called back on penalties. Without A.J. Brown (ankle) in the lineup the Patriots have no one to threaten secondaries, allowing opposing defenses to stack the box, shut down the run game, and leave the Pats a one-dimensional offense. Though Maye’s rushing could keep him afloat as a top-12 quarterback in Week 4 against the Bills, he should be considered a shaky option for now. New England’s offensive line might be able to hold up against a Buffalo front seven that has struggled to pressure the passer.

Maye once again struggled with Seattle’s ironclad defense, routinely making poor decisions when attempting to push the ball downfield. His third, and worst, interception of the night came when he lobbed a pass off his back foot at Mack Hollins with under 30 seconds left. The throw fell well short of his target and Josh Jobe made a toe-tapping pick in the end zone. Maye only threw multiple interceptions once last year, including the postseason. That came in his Super Bowl loss to the Seahawks. His multi-pick total is already at one this year, again at the hands of Seattle. It’s a long season, but Maye did nothing to silence the “schedule merchant” claims tonight. He will look to rebound as a mid-range QB1 versus the Steelers next week. That could be without A.J. Brown, who left this game with an ankle injury and did not return.

PFF charts the Patriots’ use of tempo at just 2.4 percent last season, tying for dead last in the NFL. The league average was 6.27 percent and the Saints led the league at 19.2 percent. The Patriots averaged 64.6 offensive plays per game, just 0.28 above average. Playing faster leads to more plays, and more plays lead to more opportunities to score fantasy points. Hopefully, McDaniels’ preseason play-calling confirms his intended offensive change is being implemented.