Josh Allen predicts Drake Maye will be “really good for a really long time.”
Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen had high praise for New England Patriots rookie signal-caller Drake Maye ahead of their Week 16 matchup on Sunday.
He predicts that Maye will be “really good for a really long time.”
“I think their quarterback is going to be really good for a really long time,” Allen said, via MassLive’s Chris Mason. “He’s making some unbelievable plays, extending and from the pocket. I’ve got a lot of respect for him and his game.”
The Patriots haven’t had much of anything go their way this year, but they clearly hit on the quarterback position in the 2024 NFL draft. Maye has been everything the team hoped he’d be under center.
Maye and Allen share similar skill sets, most notably with their arm strength and incredible ability to extend plays with their legs. The UNC product was asked about people comparing him to Allen in only his second season, and he quickly shut it down.
However, Allen’s words hold significant weight when it comes to Maye’s talent. There have been multiple players and coaches around the league that have praised the No. 3 overall pick of the draft.
However, he might be facing his biggest test yet in Sunday’s game against the playoff-contending Bills with Allen at quarterback.
Forget about the Pro Bowl. Drake Maye believes Christian Gonzalez is an All-Pro corner.
New England Patriots cornerback Christian Gonzalez would love to earn his first-ever Pro Bowl nod this season, but quarterback Drake Maye believes he deserves even higher recognition.
“Shoot, Pro Bowl? Should be All-Pro,” Maye said on Gonzalez, during a locker room moment ahead of the Week 15 matchup against the Arizona Cardinals, per Patriots.com’s Evan Lazar.
Gonzalez has looked phenomenal in one-on-one matchups against some of the best receivers in the league. He shut down Cardinals star rookie wideout Marvin Harrison Jr. by denying him on multiple touchdown attempts. In only his second NFL season, he is proving to be one of the top corners in the league.
It would be difficult to imagine a Pro Bowl without Gonzalez, but an All-Pro nod would be more fitting considering the incredible season he’s had for the Patriots.
His time will come at some point regardless as he continues to improve his craft and hit his peak at the next level.
Causes for concern as the Bills take on the Patriots in Week 16
The Buffalo Bills will host the New England Patriots in Week 16 at Highmark Stadium.
The Bills (11-3) and Patriots (3-11) have trended in different directions this season. The Bills have won eight of their last nine games while the Patriots have lost five of their last six.
Even though Buffalo is favored to win the game, there are always a few things that make winning difficult each week. The Bills will need to be wary of them.
Here are three causes for concern for the Bills against the Patriots in Week 16:
Question marks in the secondary
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What would make Patriots rookie quarterback Drake Maye’s day a bit easier on Sunday would be if the Bills are down members of their secondary. Safeties Damar Hamlin and Taylor Rapp, along with cornerback Rasul Douglas, all missed Week 15’s win over the Detroit Lions.
Although the Bills won last week, they allowed almost 494 passing yards from Lions QB Jared Goff to go along with five touchdowns.
Douglas, Hamlin, and Rapp all are listed as questionable heading into Week 16. Buffalo’s linebackers are banged up a bit, too. Matt Milano, Dorian Williams, and Baylon Spector all are carrying the same designation.
Containing QB Drake Maye
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The Bills have yet to face the rookie quarterback out of the University of North Carolina. Maye has been a bright spot on an otherwise dim Patriots season. He has shown poise and instincts as a young signal caller and he can beat you with both his arm and legs.
Bills head coach Sean McDermott has had success going against rookie quarterbacks in his career with an 8-3 record. Maye is one of the more challenging ones. We’ll see how the Bills game plan for him.
Overlooking an opponent
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The Bills are coming off a win over the Lions, whom many consider to be the best team in the NFL. Combine that with a win over the Kansas City Chiefs earlier this year and the Bills have proven they can beat anyone.
What’s difficult is bringing the same intensity for a Week 16 matchup with the Patriots as you did in a “Super Bowl preview” type of game. The Bills’ discipline and execution will be tested by a division rival looking to play spoiler.
Drake Maye pumps the brakes on the Josh Allen comparisons.
Drake Maye has been receiving plenty of comparisons to Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen since taking over as the starting quarterback for the New England Patriots.
Yet, the standout rookie signal-caller isn’t entertaining that kind of praise this early in his career.
“I think I’ve got a long way to go to get anywhere close to playing like that,” said Maye, via Boston Herald’s Andrew Callahan.
The timing is interesting considering the two quarterbacks will face each other on Sunday when the Patriots travel to Buffalo for a Week 16 game.
Allen has had an MVP-caliber season with 3,395 passing yards, 25 touchdowns and five interceptions on the year, along with 484 rushing yards and 11 touchdowns. His 79.3 quarterback rating ranks first in the NFL.
Maye has incredible potential with a strong arm and an ability to move around and make plays with his legs. An Allen-type career trajectory would certainly be welcomed by Patriots fans.
Sunday’s game will be a good chance for the rookie to show if he can go toe-to-toe with an MVP candidate.
3 keys to a Bills victory vs. the Patriots in Week 16
The Buffalo Bills will play the New England Patriots at home at Highmark Stadium in Week 16.
The Bills (11-3) are looking to stay hot after beating the Detroit Lions last week, the NFC’s No. 1 seed. The Bills have won eight of their previous nine games. The Patriots (3-11) enter the game on a four-game losing streak.
The Bills are favored by 14 points. It will be the first meeting between the Bills and Patriots this season. The Bills won the last matchup 27-21 in Week 18 of last year.
Even though the Patriots have three wins this year, nothing is guaranteed in the NFL. Buffalo will need to execute its game plan to pick up its 12th win of the year.
With that, here are three keys to a Bills win in Week 16:
Keep Drake Maye in the pocket
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Given that the Patriots offensive line has struggled constantly this year, rookie quarterback Drake Maye has had to be in scramble more than he’d like. Without a consistent push in the running game or protection to get the ball out in the passing game, Maye has done what Josh Allen did at the beginning of his career. He’s putting the offense into his own hands and trying to make something positive happen with his legs.
The off-script playing style that Maye provides works at times, too. From Weeks 6 to 13, Maye has averaged 41.6 rushing yards per game. The Bills would be wise to keep an eye on him leaving the pocket.
Dominate the line of scrimmage
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The Bills’ defensive line has struggled at times against the run. If the Patriots are able to get a running game going, it would make things a lot easier for their rookie QB in a hostile road environment. But even with the Bills’ inconsistencies on their defensive line, that is a tall task for New England.
According to Pro Football Focus, the Patriots have the worst starting offensive line in the NFL heading into Week 16.
If the Bills’ defensive line plays up to its potential, stopping the run and pressuring Maye in the passing game, then the Bills should take care of business in Week 16 by attacking the worst offensive line in the league.
Win the turnover battle
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In lopsided matchups like the one we’ll see in Week 16 (Bills favored by 14), the thing that can hurt you the most is if you don’t take care of the ball. No matter how much better a team is than another, if you give the lesser team a few extra opportunities it can cause issues. One way the Bills can make sure they walk out of Week 16 with a win is by not turning it over.
For the Bills, that means continuing to do what they have all season. They are currently tied with the Pittsburgh Steelers for the best turnover differential in the NFL (+18).
Alex Van Pelt has lessened the designed run calls for Drake Maye on purpose
New England Patriots offensive coordinator Alex Van Pelt admitted he is lessening designed quarterback run plays for Drake Maye because of the team’s 3-11 record.
When speaking with media members, via Patriots.com’s Evan Lazar, Van Pelt claimed his goal is to get Maye through the final three games of the season healthy.
The rookie quarterback has proven to be a major threat on the ground this season with 359 rushing yards and two touchdowns on 42 attempts.
Many have wondered why he isn’t being used more in short-yardage situations. Even coach Jerod Mayo seemed to be baffled by the lack of designed runs for Maye when asked about it after the game.
“You said it, I didn’t,” said Maye.
Those comments initially seemed like Maye was throwing Van Pelt under the bus, but the Patriots coach later clarified his words and explained he didn’t mean anything by them.
With the playoffs out of reach, it would seem as if Van Pelt is going the conservative path to keep Maye safe. That doesn’t bode well for the Patriots’ chances in the tough three-game slate left on their regular season schedule.
Drake Maye reacts to questions regarding Jerod Mayo’s job security
New England Patriots quarterback Drake Maye still trusts the process under coach Jerod Mayo, despite the team’s continued struggles this season.
The Patriots have not won a game in over a month, since their November 10 victory over the Chicago Bears. They are currently sitting at 3-11 on the season with the projected No. 3 overall pick of the 2025 NFL draft, if the season ended today.
“It’s his first year being a head coach. It’s a tough challenge for the New England Patriots. Like I said, it’s a lot of responsibility to be the quarterback, same as the head coach,” Maye told media members on Wednesday. “…He’s figuring it out. I think our players, we’re behind him, we’re backing him.
“We trust the plan he’s got for us, and we trust what he says in the team meeting rooms and all of the little sayings that he has. We believe in it. We’re bought into it. The results are coming. I think they’re coming. Everybody wishes they were now. I think we’re striving for that. Sometimes it doesn’t work out that way. …But winning is coming in the near future.”
Maye has been one of the bright spots for the Patriots this season. He has given the team hope as a solid franchise talent they can build around at the quarterback position.
New England Patriots quarterback Drake Maye shared his thoughts after the team’s 30-17 loss to the Arizona Cardinals on Sunday.
The rookie got things done both through the air and on the ground. He went 19-of-23 passing on the afternoon for 202 yards, a touchdown and an interception.
It was a rough day for the offense considering they didn’t score a point for the first three quarters. However, they mustered 14 points in the fourth quarter via a shovel touchdown pass and a rushing touchdown by Maye.
“It wears on you, for sure. It’s frustrating,” said Maye, per ESPN’s Mike Reiss. “A long flight back and you can’t do anything else but just think about the game. Watch the game on your iPad and think about ways I could maybe, throughout the week, talk to a guy that can make a difference in the game.”
The Patriots clearly need to surround Maye with playmakers in the offseason. Building around him will be important for the future. Failure to do so could result in an even longer rebuild for an organization still searching for success in the post-Tom Brady era.
New England Patriots quarterback Drake Maye scored the team’s second touchdown of Sunday’s game against the Arizona Cardinals.
The first touchdown for the team was a completed pass to wide receiver Demario Douglas. However, this time, Maye scored a touchdown with his legs.
The rookie quarterback carried the ball from five yards out for the score late in the fourth quarter when the game was out of reach. The rush concluded a six-play, 70-yard drive that took 1:32 off the clock. It was the rookie’s second rushing touchdown of the season.
More importantly, he helped get the team on the board in a game where the offense struggled to finish drives with touchdowns.
Maye showed flashes of what makes him one of the most exciting young quarterbacks in the NFL. It wasn’t enough to get the Patriots a win, but it was enough to give them hope that the future is still bright in New England.
Kayshon Boutte commented on his dropped pass in Sunday’s game
New England Patriots wide receiver Kayshon Boutte shared his thoughts on his dropped reception that got picked off in Sunday’s game against the Arizona Cardinals.
Rookie quarterback Drake Maye threw a pass that bounced out of Boutte’s hands and landed right into the awaiting hands of Cardinals cornerback Sean Murphy-Bunting.
It was a microcosm of an ugly game all around for New England. They failed to get anything going consistently on the offensive side of the ball until the fourth quarter, but by that time, it was too late for the team to avoid their 11th loss of the season.
“I’ll just say, I know it’s a play I’ve got to make but it’s kind of hard when you’re running full speed in one direction and the ball is kind of low,” Boutte said, via MassLive’s Mark Daniels. “It’s a play I’ve got to make… We talked about it to see what we both could’ve fixed.”
Maye took ownership of the play as well when speaking with media members after the game. He noted that he threw the ball in a way to protect Boutte from the incoming defender.
The Patriots have had growing pains on the offensive side of the ball throughout the season, and Sunday’s performance was another example of those struggles. There are bright spots for the future on offense, but the Patriots need an offensive overhaul to realize their true potential.
