2. QB Drake Maye admits, “Today wasn’t my best game” in his first playoff appearance
When you hear young quarterbacks talk about their playoff experiences, many say: The first playoff win is the hardest – the one that takes away the nerves.
On Sunday night, Drake Maye had some unusually weak moments and posted his worst first-half completion rate of the season: He entered the break with 6 of 15 passes for 95 yards and one interception.
However, Maye showed a much stronger performance after the break. He completed 11 of 14 passes for 173 yards, threw a perfect 28-yard touchdown to TE Hunter Henry, generated +0.23 EPA per dropback and posted a passer rating of 142.0 in half two.
The second-year quarterback lost a fumble and missed a completely unoccupied Austin Hooper in the end zone after halftime, but overall he found his way into the game much better once he found his rhythm.
His best throws: precise hits against the Chargers’ zone coverage
Maye’s strongest passes of the night were his throws into open areas along the sideline against the Chargers’ zone coverages. He made several precise cover-2-hole shots – balls that he “layered” over the flat defender and in front of the deep safety.
The touchdown pass to Henry was a similar throw, this time against a Cover 3 zone.
In the play, the Patriots ran the well-known “Sail” concept
Rookie WR Kyle Williams clears the field with a vertical route, giving Henry plenty of space on his deep corner route. With Chargers CB Cam Hart Williams having to take over vertically, his zone becomes overloaded. Safety Derwin James almost comes up from the bottom to make the play, but Maye puts the ball perfectly over James’ outstretched hand – an elite throw, as head coach Vrabel also emphasized.
Also dangerous as a runner
In addition to four explosive passing plays, Maye also gained important yards with his legs.
An example: Shortly before halftime, he brought the Patriots into field goal range with a 37-yard scramble. The Chargers dropped into quarters coverage and dealt with the receivers – Maye saw the open space and used the four-man rush for a huge run that allowed three points before halftime.
Turnovers remain the central problem
As previously mentioned, the turnovers forced by the Chargers defense were firmly in the “things that cost you a game” category. Maye himself said that he held the ball for too long on Sunday night (an average of 2.91 seconds) instead of simply accepting the sack in pressure situations and minimizing the risk of the ball.
Bottom line: mistakes, yes – but also the decisive big plays. Maye needs to take better care of the ball in the coming weeks. But despite the turnover issues, the following applies:
- He made several big plays.
- He attacked the Chargers defense aggressively and precisely.
- And he led the only touchdown drive of the entire game.
Maye wasn’t perfect – but he was good enough to put the Patriots on the road to success in this playoff game.
