Patriots reveal what makes Drake Maye special after he outdueled Josh Allen

ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. – Stefon Diggs was still in his uniform, sitting in a visitor’s locker inside Highmark Stadium. The wide receiver was high on adrenaline following the Patriots 23-20 comeback win over the heavily favored Buffalo Bills, and he couldn’t hold back.

“Drake Maye is a gamer,” Diggs yelled out. “Damn, he’s a gamer.”

Diggs wasn’t alone with that thought.

As Patriots players reveled in their victory, they also celebrated their young quarterback.

In front of a packed Highmark Stadium against a Super Bowl-contending division rival, Maye found himself up against Josh Allen, the reigning MVP and the quarterback many compared him to.

After heading into halftime with 89 passing yards and too many stalled drives to count, Maye came out in the second half and showed the world why he’s the man many believe will lead the Patriots back to relevance.

Maye completed 13 of 14 passes for 184 yards in the second half on Sunday to lead the Patriots to a fourth-quarter comeback over Allen and the Bills. For every Buffalo scoring drive, Maye responded with a haymaker of his own, throwing off-balance and leading the Patriots to the team’s most noteworthy victory in some time.

It was a performance that had his teammates talking.

“Drake Maye, amazing. I told you all, I love playing for this man,” Christian Barmore said. “I love everything about him. I love how he carries himself. I love his style. Love his game. I know when Drake has the ball, he’s going to do something special.”

That was seen on Sunday.

At this point, there shouldn’t be much doubt surrounding Maye. The No. 3 overall pick began the start of this season as the second-youngest starting quarterback in the NFL. He came into this past week ranked first in completion percentage, fifth in passer rating, sixth in passing yards, sixth in completions, and is tied for eighth in passing touchdowns.

Although it wasn’t easy, he left Buffalo as a bona fide top-10 quarterback.

The Bills brought the pressure, and the local crowd brought the noise. The combination looked like it was too much for Maye and his offense. In the first half, the Patriots found themselves at midfield four times and inside the 11-yard line twice. It felt like a missed opportunity after missed opportunity as the Patriots entered halftime up, 6-3.

Maye looked hesitant and a bit skittish, leading to multiple Bills sacks. But then the second half started.

Allen showed he was ready for a fight as Buffalo scored a touchdown to start the third quarter. Instead of succumbing to the pressure of the moment, Maye persevered. In the next drive, he hit Diggs and Kayshon Boutte with back-to-back 16-yard passes. Two plays later, he rolled out of the pocket and threw a 32-yard pass to Diggs at the 4-yard line.

That set up Rhamondre Stevenson’s first touchdown run.

“He’s just growing every game, getting more comfortable,” said cornerback Carlton Davis. “We’ve got complete trust in him. He’s our guy. I’ll go to war with him any day. I know he’s a dog. I know he wants to make plays. Just to see him grow is amazing.”

Watching Maye from the sideline, the Patriots defense returned to the field focused on getting the ball back to their quarterback. At 2:57 of the third quarter, they accomplished that goal with Marcus Jones intercepting Allen.

This set up Maye’s offense 90 yards away from the end zone at the 10-yard line. The quarterback completed 6-of-7 passes to lead the Patriots to a 90-yard touchdown drive. On third-and-3, he hit Diggs, who made a diving catch near the sideline. On the next step, he threw a 24-yard pass to Hunter Henry.

Maye followed that up with another highlight throw to Diggs, this time a 30-yard strike at the 6-yard line. Once again, that deep pass play set up a Stevenson touchdown.

“It’s what I expect of Drake,” Henry said. “He’s a special player, special kid, special dude. Fun to play with. Great friend of mine, and it’s really cool to see him rise to the occasion on a big-time night in a big-time environment.”

“Baller. Dog. He can do it all. Just give him time,” added defensive tackle Milton Williams. “He’s going to put the ball where it needs to be. He’s going to get everybody lined up where they need to go. We’re trying to get turnovers and put the ball in their hands so they can score.”

As this night would have it, Allen wouldn’t go away. It’s never easy with an otherworldly quarterback. Allen and the Bills scored 10 straight points to tie this game, 20-20, with 2:17 left on the clock.

The Bills quarterback showed everyone why he’s the defending MVP.

Maye then showed everyone why he could be a future one.

On the first play of the next drive, Bills defensive tackle DaQuan Jones grabbed Maye and started to take the quarterback to the ground. As he was falling, Maye threw a 12-yard pass to Diggs.

Two plays later, Maye threw another deep pass, this time connecting with Kayshon Boutte for 19 yards. That set up Andy Borregales’ game-winning 52-yard field goal.

“A young quarterback, franchise player,” Boutte said. “Big environment for all of us, honestly, but the way that he pushed through and came through in clutch moments was really great.”

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In the biggest night of his young career, Maye went toe-to-toe with Allen, the man many believe Maye resembles. In sports, comparisons are never fair. There is only one Josh Allen.

But as the Buffalo Bills found out on Sunday night, there’s only one Drake Maye.

“I saw a young quarterback take a step in the right direction,” Diggs said. “They did a lot of comparisons during the week. I feel like it’s a helluva comparison to be compared to Josh Allen, but as you come into your own, Drake Maye has to be Drake Maye.”

The Patriots will take that.

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