New England Patriots
“I simply know that I can rely on 10. When doubtful, rely on 10.”
A fast look on the stat e-book following Sunday’s AFC championship bout between the Patriots and Broncos gained’t mirror effectively on Drake Maye.
The second-year QB’s ascension from promising QB to MVP frontrunner has fueled New England’s rise from a four-win membership right into a Tremendous Bowl contender.
However as whipping winds and a gradual snowfall blanketed Empower Subject at Mile Excessive, Maye’s aerial assault was grounded on Sunday.
The second-year QB accomplished simply 10 of his 21 makes an attempt. He threw for zero touchdowns and 86 whole yards — averaging simply 4.1 yards per try.
However as Stefon Diggs was fast to notice on Sunday, particular person numbers maintain little weight when contrasted towards a very powerful barometer of a staff’s destiny — the scoreboard.
“Issues weren’t fairly,” the veteran wideout stated. “However I instructed you a very long time in the past, I’ll take a ugly win earlier than I take a reasonably loss.”
A tough night for New England’s passing recreation meant little or no to Maye on Sunday — not after the gifted signal-caller and the Patriots punched their ticket to Tremendous Bowl LX.
“It’s fairly particular. It’s one thing I gained’t neglect,” Maye said after New England bested Denver, 10-7. “Street warriors, 9-0 on the street, enjoying for this staff and ending in victory formation, I head-bumped Will [Campbell], and that was in all probability the toughest head bump of my life after I picked up the primary down.
It was particular for these guys, we’ve been in that situation rather a lot, I at all times say that’s my favourite play, and each staff’s favourite play once you’re in victory formation. That was, I believe, what, our seventeenth win? It’s been an extended season, and it’s been value it.”
In a recreation the place factors have been at a premium in ugly climate situations, Maye nonetheless doled out sufficient harm towards an elite Broncos protection to capitalize in crunch-time conditions — normally counting on his legs to maneuver the chains.
Maye gained 65 yards off of 10 carries on Sunday, scoring New England’s lone landing of the afternoon with a six-yard keeper within the second quarter. He additionally gaining six of New England’s 12 first downs by way of scrambles and designed runs.
Maybe most significantly, he didn’t flip the ball over after fumbling six instances in his final two playoff video games.
“These lengthy legs got here in helpful,” Diggs stated of Maye. “He was working round, stiff-arming guys, making performs at a excessive degree. He was being good. I believe the largest factor for this recreation isn’t turning over the ball. Our protection is gonna maintain it down.
“So that you don’t flip the ball over … we’re at all times in a great spot. … I simply know that I can rely on 10. When doubtful, rely on 10.”
Diggs’ endorsement was validated with beneath two minutes to go in regulation.
After Chrisitan Gonzalez put New England on the brink of a Super Bowl berth by selecting off Jarrett Stidham, New England nonetheless wanted to achieve a primary all the way down to run out the clock and go into victory formation.
Given the offensive slog that hindered each the Patriots and Broncos amid that snowfall, it was removed from a assure that New England was going to maneuver the chains on a Third-and-6 play from the Patriots’ personal 40-yard line.
However Maye and the Patriots’ capitalized off a unadorned bootleg play, with Maye outrunning Jonah Elliss to the sting and selecting up seven yards to maneuver the chains and shut out the win.
“We have been in massive personnel, working the identical deal to the best, little stretch play, and in some unspecified time in the future, they get lackadaisical, and obtained an opportunity to get on the sting,” Maye stated of what he noticed on the victory-clinching run. “I assumed [Elliss] was going to trace me and hawk me down, however obtained sufficient to choose up the primary.
“Coach Vrabes will in all probability get mad about working out of bounds, however at that time, it doesn’t matter once you get the primary down. In order that was a cool second, cool to have fun with these guys, it’s at all times cool to complete in victory formation, so, fairly candy.”
Maye’s highlight-reel tape from a breakout 2025 season gained’t be rife with throws from Sunday’s recreation towards the Broncos. However that seven-yard scramble — given the stakes at play — will probably be added to Patriots franchise lore, particularly if this staff can seal the deal in two weeks at Levi’s Stadium.
Maye is now only one manner from being the youngest QB in NFL historical past to win a Tremendous Bowl — a sentence that sounds surreal given the state of this franchise within the summertime.
The subsequent two weeks will probably characteristic loads of verbal barbs doled out by the likes of Cam Newton, Max Kellerman, Skip Bayless, and numerous different pundits and media personalities who will probably be fast to low cost Maye’s baseline stats within the postseason.
After all, criticisms of New England’s lighter regular-season slate and the Patriots’ lackluster offensive manufacturing within the postseason (18.0 PPG) are likely to ring hole when weighed towards the competitors.
Sure, New England’s scoring output via three playoff video games stands because the fewest by any staff to make the Tremendous Bowl for the reason that 1979 Rams (15.0).
However the Patriots have additionally overcome three postseason matchups towards groups who all ranked within the top-five in whole protection this season — with Maye standing as the primary QB in league historical past to win three playoff video games towards a trio of top-five defenses in a single playoff run.
It gained’t get any simpler on Feb. 8, not towards a Seattle protection that ranks first in factors allowed per recreation (17.2) and sixth in yards towards per recreation (285.6).
The ultimate stat line will not be fairly for Maye in two weeks towards one other daunting opponent.
But when the evening ends with Maye lifting the Lombardi Trophy, one can be hard-pressed to search out fault in a season that few anticipated from the 23-year-old QB.
“It’s full circle,” Maye stated of enjoying a recreation at Levi’s Stadium after going to Tremendous Bowl 50 on the similar area in February 2016. “My dad, when, I believe, I used to be in seventh grade, stated if the Panthers made it, we have been going to go. It was heartbreaking, they misplaced to the Broncos, however what an expertise for a child at my age who loves soccer, who loves quarterbacks, that was Peyton [Manning]’s final recreation, what a Corridor of Fame profession he had.
“So, fairly cool to be full circle going again right here 10 years later, and I believe it’s only a particular second for this complete staff and we’re simply going to take pleasure in it tonight, head again. We’ve obtained two weeks, so we’ve obtained some work to do.”
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