Year 2 for Drake Maye has gone a lot better than his rookie season has, and there’s one clear way to see that: the New England Patriots‘ win total.
The Patriots improved to 4-2 on the season following their 25-19 victory over the New Orleans Saints on Sunday. Not only did the win improve their record to games over .500 for the first time since 2022, but the Patriots also matched their win total in each of the last two years with their victory on Sunday.
When Maye was asked about the Patriots matching their win total from his rookie season, though, he made it clear that he aspires to win more than just four games in 2025.
“Just go get win No. 5. That’s my only thought,” the Patriots quarterback told reporters on Sunday. “Last year is in the past. Just try to keep building and hopefully we just keep showing up every week. Being a tough team to play on the road and winning at home is what we’re trying to build. So I think we’re on our way toward that.”
While the Patriots won four games last season, Maye was only the starter for three of them. If you want to be even more specific, the Patriots only won one game that Maye started and finished in 2024. So, going by that barometer, the Patriots have already quadrupled their win total under Maye in 2025 from last season.
Maye’s play has certainly looked like a quarterback who has improved a lot in just one year, too. In fact, the best performance of his young career might have come on Sunday. He completed 18 of 26 passes for 261 yards and three touchdowns to go with a 140.1 passer rating.
Adding to Maye’s impressive performance, he had more touchdown passes (three) at halftime than incompletions (two), and he was the team’s leading rusher on Sunday with 28 yards. On top of all of that, Maye was arguably robbed of another 100-plus passing yards due to two questionable offensive pass interference calls on Stefon Diggs.
Still, the lost yards didn’t stop Maye from joining history. He became the fourth quarterback ever to post five straight games of 200-plus yards passing and a passer rating of at least 100 before their 24th birthday, joining Dan Marino, Dak Prescott, and Patrick Mahomes.
What Drake Maye’s teammates are saying about him following Patriots win
As Maye continues to impress from a statistical standpoint, his teammates are equally amazed by the poise and command he’s shown this season.
“I think [Maye] trusts all of us,” wide receiver Kayshon Boutte said. “I think that’s the biggest thing in an efficient offense. Just a quarterback trusting his receivers to make plays. Sometimes when we’re not open and when the coverage is cloudy, he makes plays himself too… just trusting each other goes a long way.”
Diggs, meanwhile, was willing to compare Maye to a former teammate of his.
“You know, it’s not my first time,” Diggs said, alluding to Buffalo Bills quarterback Stefon Diggs. “Y’all got a different vantage point, a different POV of it. So it’s like, maybe a little surprise. . . . But I see how he prepares. I see how he works, so I’m not surprised at all. I’m excited. I feel like as a team we’re all behind him, and he feels that.”
