New England Patriots quarterback Drake Maye got off to an inconsistent start to his third NFL season. Through three games, New England was 1-2, and Maye was a shell of himself facing three division winners: the Seattle Seahawks, Pittsburgh Steelers, and Jacksonville Jaguars.
During these three games, Maye had one passing touchdown compared to six interceptions.
In the last two weeks against the Bills and Raiders, Maye has once again found his MVP form from last season, having put up eight total touchdowns compared to one interception, and has the Patriots offense firing on all cylinders.
So What Changed?
Sure, New England had 24 new players this season, and after not playing the starters during the preseason, the first few weeks could have been a result of players shaking off the rust and getting acclimated to playing with each other.
One Patriots analyst thinks that the opposing team’s Pass DVOA (Defense-adjusted Value Over Average) is an indicator of Maye’s start to his season.
This afternoon, Greg Bedard spoke on 98.5 The Sports Hub and revealed that Pass DVOA had coincided with Maye’s performances so far this season.
“Buffalo’s pass defense, and I don’t think this includes last night, is 28th in pass DVOA. They are 28th,” said Bedard. “The Vegas Raiders are 25th in defensive pass DVOA. That is opponent-adjusted.”
“The teams that [Maye] played before that, Seattle is number two. Jacksonville is number six.”
The numbers reveal that Maye struggles against top-ranked defenses and takes advantage of defenses that rank among the league’s worst. This isn’t all that alarming given Maye has room to grow as a quarterback, just five games into his third NFL season and having only played two full seasons at UNC.
However, fresh off a trip to the Super Bowl and a runner-up finish for the MVP last season, expectations are high for Maye and the Patriots this season.
Maye seems to have turned a corner after a rocky first few games of his third season, and with the addition of A.J. Brown on the horizon, look for Maye to prolong his recent hot streak even with a first-place schedule and matchups against tough defenses in the Vikings and Broncos looming.
