Patriots’ path to the No. 1 seed, Drake Maye’s historic accuracy and more Week 11 thoughts

FOXBORO — Welcome to the Friday 5!

Every week throughout the NFL common season, I’ll drop 5 Patriots-related ideas on Friday, which as we speak largely spotlight the workforce’s win over the Jets.

Prepared, set, soccer.

1. Lighting the trail

Do you keep in mind two months in the past?

The Patriots had a fumbling drawback. An enormous one. They have been 1-2. And solely by the grace of De’Von Achane’s left foot partly touchdown out of bounds within the last minutes of their win at Miami did they keep away from an 0-3 begin.

Now, fast-forward two months.

Because it stands, the Patriots ought to be kicking their ft up in mid-January, whereas the remainder of the AFC’s playoff contenders combat to outlive within the Wild Card spherical. As a result of after Thursday’s easy-peasy win over the Jets, the Pats not solely personal the NFL’s greatest report at 9-2, however they’re one step nearer to clinching the No. 1 seed within the AFC.

As all the time this season, hope springs from the schedule. The Pats have received eight straight by treating the league’s bottom-feeders as stepping stones. Odds are they are going to make it to 10 straight earlier than they break from their early December bye week to play the Payments.

Listed below are their remaining video games: at Cincinnati, vs. N.Y. Giants, vs. Buffalo, at Baltimore, at N.Y. Jets, vs. Miami.

In the meantime the Colts and Broncos, each 8-2, face rockier roads forward. The Colts journey to Kansas Metropolis subsequent week after their ongoing bye, then host the Texans, journey to Jacksonville and Seattle in consecutive weeks, play the 49ers, Jaguars and Texans once more to shut the yr. All of these opponents are both at present within the playoff image or contending for a Wild Card spot.

Save for journeys to Washington and Las Vegas, the identical holds for Denver. The Broncos host the Chiefs on Sunday, go to the Commanders and Raiders, then host Inexperienced Bay and Jacksonville earlier than closing at Kansas Metropolis and versus the Chargers. Oof.

The Chargers (7-3) and Payments (6-3) are the one different groups that ought to push for the No. 1 seed exterior of Indy and Denver (barring a late surge by 5-4 Chiefs). All of which is to say if the Patriots beat the groups they need to, they’ll clear their calendar for the primary spherical of the playoffs similar to outdated occasions.

2. Maye making historical past?

We’re at a degree now the place dangerous incompletions, an inevitability of enjoying quarterback, are a shock with Drake Maye.

Maye is not only correct. He’s traditionally pinpoint.

Maye has accomplished 71.9% of his passes, regardless of throwing to a deeper goal on common than most each different beginning quarterback within the league. The stat to know combines these two information and highlights how distinctive Maye’s passing has been.

Coming into Thursday, Maye owned the best Completion Proportion Over Anticipated (CPOE) ever measured by Subsequent Gen Stats, which started monitoring the metric in 2018. CPOE accounts for elements like throw distance and defenders’ areas to find out true accuracy by first establishing how seemingly it’s every go is accomplished. Not like conventional completion proportion, CPOE separates the conservative quarterbacks who fatten their conventional numbers with checkdowns from the really nice passers who full harder and impactful throws at the next fee.

On Thursday, Maye went 25-of-34 towards the Jets, together with two drops; a stat line that little doubt bolstered his CPOE for the season. However even when Maye remained at a 9.3% CPOE after the win, he would nonetheless be the NFL’s most correct quarterback of the final seven-plus seasons with six video games to go. Take into consideration who’s on that checklist.

There’s Tom Brady, Patrick Mahomes, Aaron Rodgers, Joe Burrow, Lamar Jackson and Josh Allen amongst others. Maye’s CPOE is the best since Ryan Tannehill’s 8.7% in 2019, when his Titans made a shock run beneath Mike Vrabel to the AFC Championship Sport. Tennessee’s offense that yr accentuated Tannehill’s excellent deep accuracy, a trait he shares with Maye.

But it surely’s not simply his deep ball. Or Maye’s means to make tight-window throws or take the checkdown or publish a sky-high conventional completion proportion. It’s all of it.

It is a particular quarterback amid a particular, presumably historic, season.

3. McDaniels’ wrinkles

No Kayshon Boutte, no Rhamondre Stevenson, no Austin Hooper, no issues.

Granted, sure. He solely needed to game-plan for the Jets. However regardless of restricted time to work round key absences in any respect three ability positions, Pats offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels discovered artistic options Thursday that simply would possibly stick long-term.

Right here’s a enjoyable one: backup heart/guard Ben Brown as a jumbo tight finish. The Patriots ran straight behind and away from Brown’s facet on completely different performs, then later executed a play-action rollout away from Brown to maintain New York guessing. Brown even took the sector with defensive sort out/fullback Khyiris Tonga for a pair snaps, after Tonga started debuting as a fullback a pair weeks in the past.

McDaniels additionally deployed extra 10 personnel (4 wideouts, one operating again and 0 tight ends) than he had referred to as in any recreation this season. Stefon Diggs, Mack Hollins, DeMario Douglas and rookie Kyle Williams all shared the sector on just a few events. Would possibly Boutte exchange Douglas or Williams when he returns?

I say McDaniels should lean into this personnel group extra, particularly towards porous go defenses like, say, the Bengals’ … a workforce that simply occurs to be subsequent on the Patriots’ schedule.

4. Prepared, set, get well

Earlier than the Patriots flew again from their win in Tampa Bay final weekend, gamers acquired IVs to rehydrate. Others made plans to leap into the new tub and sauna again in Foxboro. Or receie massages and additional therapy.

However not the day after they landed. Strive an hour or two. That was a part of the Patriots’ preparations for his or her third recreation in 12 days this week, a rugged stretch each workforce faces yearly since Thursday Evening Soccer turned a weekly staple within the league. Pats coach Mike Vrabel defined the coaching employees went to nice lengths to schedule time for gamers throughout the week.

“Everyone all fingers on deck right here, and likewise having a schedule,” Vrabel mentioned. “Our assistant coach went round and scheduled everyone so there may very well be a circulation chart and guys didn’t stroll in at 11:30 and say, ‘Effectively, I can’t get a therapeutic massage as a result of Morgan Moses is already on a desk’.

“So it was let’s make it possible for that is deliberate out and there’s some thought to it and provides our gamers one of the best alternative to get well.”