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Drake Maye is improving faster than his team.
Another excellent game for Drake Maye, yet another loss for the Patriots. They all need to continue improving at a high rate to become an NFL contender.
Maye was again the darling of the play-by-play announcers, this time on FOX, who are usually seeing him for the first time and marveling at his skill set and savvy for a rookie.
The color commentator was former Jets’ quarterback Mark Sanchez, who had the infamous “butt fumble” turnover 12 years ago that turned into a Patriots touchdown. He was ultra positive about Maye.
The former Tar Heel had his highest passing yards and second highest QB rating in the 28-22 loss to the Rams. Sanchez was especially complimentary of Drake’s footwork, which he must have worked on after it was called to attention by several pro scouts.
Drake completed 30 of 40 passes – easily his most in an NFL game –and had two touchdowns for a rating of 100.2, bettered by the Rams Matt Stafford’s near perfect game in Foxboro.
There are several ways the Pats can make Maye even better, including more time to throw and helping him with the run game that New England would like to have back to open up the defensive secondaries.
Their offensive line is healthier and better than it has been all season. But it still can’t run block well enough to force the
opposing defenses into man-to-man coverage. And they still allowed the Rams to sack Maye three times and hit him in the
backfield five times, leaving him little time to find an open receiver. Drake was able to escape the rush on three scrambles
averaging nine yards a carry.
And that receiving corps is still subpar, except for tight end Hunter Henry and slot receiver DeMario Douglas, who along with veteran Kendrick Bourne had 16 of Maye’s 30 completions.
The most important aspect of Maye’s sixth start is that he is visibly better each week and is drawing praise from around the league. That should make Robert Kraft and his front office splurge on free agents where needed because they can play with an emerging NFL star.
The Patriots, now 3-8, won’t have a top three pick like they had to tab Maye, but they surely will have a top 10 selection that should bring in a lineman or skilled position player to help Maye.
And, of course, the defense that did not force a turnover by the Rams also must continue to improve in order to get off the field faster, give up fewer explosive plays and leave Maye better field position to operate. In short, he is the straw the stirs the drink.
The Boston Globe said it after Sunday’s game: Maye “continues to be the best reason to keep on watching this team.”
Featured image via Associated Press/Steven Senne
Art Chansky is a veteran journalist who has written ten books, including best-sellers “Game Changers,” “Blue Bloods,” and “The Dean’s List.” He has contributed to WCHL for decades, having made his first appearance as a student in 1971. His “Sports Notebook” commentary airs daily on the 97.9 The Hill WCHL and his “Art’s Angle” opinion column runs weekly on Chapelboro.Chapelboro.com does not charge subscription fees, and you can directly support our efforts in local journalism here. Want more of what you see on Chapelboro? Let us bring free local news and community information to you by signing up for our newsletter.
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