CHICAGO — New England Patriots teammates and coaches credited rookie quarterback Drake Maye for addressing the offense after a sloppy practice last week, which they said reflected his role as an evolving leader and served as a catalyst leading up to Sunday’s 19-3 win over No. 1 overall pick Caleb Williams and the Chicago Bears.
“Everybody loved it, man. We need that from our starting quarterback,” rookie wide receiver Ja’Lynn Polk said. “Everybody wants to be held to a certain standard on this team. …
“After that practice, I said, ‘You’re a leader on this team, and don’t be afraid to take that next step of being vocal and telling us the things we need to do.’ For him to be able to do that, it tells you a lot about him and the leadership he has on this team.”
Maye, the No. 3 overall pick in the draft, wasn’t elevated to the starting role until the sixth week of the season, initially learning behind veteran Jacoby Brissett.
He has gradually begun to assert himself, with the Fox broadcast first noting that Maye asked offensive coordinator Alex Van Pelt whether he could address the offense after a subpar practice Wednesday that included him fumbling a snap.
“Just little things, taking that next step of me being the quarterback in the offensive meeting room of ‘these little things are adding up and hurting us in practice and leading to game day.’ Just really try to challenge those guys, and challenge myself, to take each play and know that when the game comes and this play is called, it matters,” Maye said after Sunday’s win.
“I was just trying to get through to them, and I think those guys respected it.”
Polk rated him a “10 out of 10” as a public speaker, and coach Jerod Mayo added: “Now he’s starting to really take control of the offense and the team. When you go out there and perform at a high level, that’s the first step. The next step is to bring others with you, and I think he’s on his way to doing that.”
In Sunday’s win over the Bears, which was backboned by a swarming defense that tied a franchise record with nine sacks, Maye finished 15 of 25 for 184 yards with one touchdown and one interception. He added four rushes for 24 yards.
One of the defining parts of his performance was how he responded after a first-quarter interception (his fifth of the season), when his attempt to throw the ball away instead was snared by Bears linebacker T.J. Edwards along the sideline.
Two drives later, he directed a 10-play, 70-yard scoring drive, culminating in the only touchdown of the game — a 2-yard pass to Polk. Maye converted twice on third down to extend the drive, first on a 17-yard connection to receiver DeMario Douglas and then a 24-yarder to tight end Austin Hooper.
“I know that’s not my style of football, turning the football over,” Maye said. “Not everything is going to go right, not everything is going to go perfect, and I think you saw that from the offense — being able to bounce back and do what we needed to do [to complement] a defensive performance like that.”