Drake Maye Took An Unlikely Path To Becoming A Super Bowl QB

Although Drake Maye’s numbers haven’t been eye-popping in the playoffs, he’s still been a vital part of the New England Patriots’ success.

Maye led the team to their first playoff appearance since 2021. He also got the Patriots their first playoff win since Super Bowl LIII, when Tom Brady was their quarterback. Maye was given Pro Bowl honors for his efforts.

In the wild-card round against the Los Angeles Chargers, he threw one touchdown and one interception. That touchdown in the fourth quarter helped extend the Patriots’ lead. Despite his numbers not being the best, he outplayed veteran QB Justin Herbert.

The divisional round matchup against the Houston Texans was Maye’s best performance so far. He threw three touchdowns and one interception. This game was pretty much decided by the turnover battle. Texans QB C.J. Stroud threw four interceptions. Although throwing any interceptions is obviously bad, Maye did a good job of damage control. Not to mention, he was playing against an elite Texans defense.

The conference championship game was one of the hardest games you could ask a young QB to play in. A snowstorm hit during the second half, which made visibility nearly impossible. Although he was limited in the air, he made up for it with his run game. He ran 10 times for 65 yards. The Patriots overall ran 38 times with Maye and the running backs. They defeated the Broncos 10-7 to advance to Super Bowl LX.

Maye will face the Seattle Seahawks in the Super Bowl. He has never played them before in his two-year career. Seahawks QB Sam Darnold does have more snaps, but his experience isn’t that much greater than Maye’s. He’s only been a full-time starter the last two seasons, and he only won his first playoff game this season.