On Thursday Night Football, the New England Patriots traveled to Chicago to take on the Bears. And despite the Bears seemingly able to take advantage of every Patriots miscue, New England’s quarterback Drake Maye put together one of his most efficient performances of the 2026 season.
During his post-game press conference, Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel spoke on Maye’s ability to overcome the team’s mistakes.
“I mean, he gave us a chance. He competed, and I know he’d like to have that throw back to Eli [Raridon], but you know, I thought he really competed,” said Vrabel.
“Whether that was running around and scrambling or finding, you know, good places to go with the football, gave us a chance. I know he’d like to have that one back, and he’ll learn from it like he always does. And, you know, I’m glad he’s ours.”
Maye Shines in Prime Time
With all NFL eyes on the prime-time matchup, Drake Maye put New England’s offense on his back with 321 passing yards and a pair of touchdowns. He also added 26 yards and a touchdown with his legs.
He also showed the ability to overcome his gut-wrenching interception and move on to the next play.
On New England’s very next drive, he led a two-play, 0:14 scoring drive that was capped off by a 48-yard Rhamondre Stevenson touchdown right before halftime.
Maye also didn’t lose trust in his pass catchers when they made mistakes.
In the third quarter, New England was down 14-27, and after tight end Eli Raridon was called for a false start, which cost the offense five yards, the very next play Maye went right back to the rookie tight end for a 30-yard touchdown that brought the Patriots within a score.
Superstar quarterbacks are not only able to light up the box score, but they are also able to elevate their offenses and help them overcome self-inflicted wounds. On Thursday Night Football, Drake Maye, even with his end-zone interception, put on an MVP-caliber performance in Primetime.
