NASHVILLE – It was the type of moment where legends grow.
With four seconds on the clock, the Patriots were running out of time, so in this one play, Drake Maye created more of it.
After the ball was snapped, the rookie quarterback dropped back in the pocket his teammates weren’t open. As his eyes scanned the field, the Tennessee Titans rushed three players and dropped eight back near and in the end zone.
That’s when Maye started to scramble in the pocket. He moved to the right, pushed up, and ran to the left only to run back to his right. At this point, two Titans players rushed in for the sack. As Armani Hooker hit Maye, the No. 3 overall pick fell back and heaved the football to the end zone where it landed in the outstretched hands of Rhamondre Stevenson.
Down by a touchdown, the Patriots needed more than the four seconds that were left on the clock. At this moment, Maye scrambled for 11.82 seconds before connecting with his running back for a game-tying touchdown with no time left.
“It was pretty dope. It felt like a movie scene,” Michael Onwenu said. “When I looked back, he was being tackled and he threw the ball. I looked back and Rhamondre was breaking back to his left. It was one of those things that was crazy.”
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The Patriots lost 20-17 to the Titans in overtime on Sunday. That one play, however, showed everyone that the future is bright for this quarterback. At 22 years old, Maye is the youngest player on the Patriots roster. As he showed on Sunday, he might also be the most talented.
“Drake’s a (expletive) winner,” left guard Michael Jordan said. “He’s going to get it done. He’s going to give his all. I hope he’s keeping his head up because he’s an awesome player.
View from Patriots offensive line
The longer the play went on, the longer the Patriots had to pass-protect.
For an offensive lineman, more times only makes his job harder. Historically, quarterbacks want to throw the ball in less than 3.5 seconds. Any longer and it gets too hard to block an NFL defensive lineman.
This play was a little different for Patriots pass protectors. Initially, the unit had to block three Titans players. Right tackle Demontrey Jacobs had edge rusher Harold Landry III, tackle Vederian Lowe had outside linebacker Arden Key while center Ben Brown and right guard Onwenu blocked Jeffery Simmons.
“It was really ‘just find someone to block,” Onwenu said. “At one point, there were three guys to the left and then I went to the left and then they started rushing to the right. Really, I was trying to mirror them and I’m sure they were mirroring Drake. Just tried to stay in front of the guys.”
“Just protect as long as I can. Just do my job and buy as much time as I could out there,” Brown added. “He’s an awesome player. He’s a great player. He instills confidence in our offense and in our team. He doesn’t play like a rookie. He plays like a great player.”
As Onwenu noted, as Maye started to move, Titans linebackers and defensive backs mirrored his direction. As the play went on, Jacobs continued to block Landry while Key briefly got past Lowe. At that point, Maye planted his right foot in the group and made Key miss as he fell to the ground.
The play went on for so long that at one point, Simmons ran to the end zone as it appeared Maye might run forward.
On this play, Patriots tackles, Lowe and Jacobs, had to hold their blocks the longest.
“Just protect, protect, protect. That’s all I was thinking,” Lowe said. “We knew that they were tired. But we also knew it was the last play of the game. We needed to make a play and give 10 a time to make a play. Honestly, I did not even know he still had the ball. I was blocking for four or five seconds thinking the ball was gone. I turn around and he’s running from guys. It was just a great play by him. It just shows how remarkable he is as a player.”
“It’s just protect as long as I can,” Jacobs added. “Just try to keep Drake in a good position to make a good decision. It was about battling through the whistle. That was my mindset going into that, knowing everything is on the line right now. It was intense. I’m glad we were able to convert.”
View from Patriots pass catchers
This play call from Alex Van Pelt was designed to get Hunter Henry the ball in the back of the end zone. Through nine games, the veteran tight end leads the Patriots in receptions (39) and receiving yards (414).
Maye’s top target, however, wasn’t an option because he was pushed out of bounds by a Titans defensive back. As the rookie quarterback scrambled around, Henry had a front-row seat to the magic.
“That guy’s special, man. Just the way he competes. The way he plays. The way he continues to fight,” Henry said. “I’m excited to continue to go out there and play with him. He’s very special, has got a lot of talent and is only going to continue to get better and learn from those situations, experiences. Proud of him. Proud of his fight.”
This play had the Patriots use two tight ends (Henry and Austin Hooper), two receivers (Kendrick Bourne and Kayshon Boutte), and one running back (Stevenson).
Bourne ran a short route, curling at the goal line. The problem, however, was that the Titans had a player drop right in front of him. Boutte ran to the back left corner of the end zone but was double-covered. Hooper ran a slant route from left to right, but he too was covered.
The Titans entered this game with the top-ranked pass defense in the NFL. As the play unfolded, the pass catchers scrambled to try and get open.
In the end, they too were amazed by Maye’s heroics.
“He’s resilient. He’s always shown that, but that was different,” Bourne said. “I don’t know how many people he made miss. As a wideout on that play, it was tough. That might’ve been the longest play I’ve ever been a part of. We’ve got to keep working for him. He’s looking for help. Drake made a great play… It was tough. It shows who we have back there and it shows that we’ve got to be better for him.”
“Four seconds left in the game, game on the line, somebody got to make a play,” Boutte said. “We know that play is the last play, so it was a great feeling. From Drake, we’re constantly seeing improvement. He’s improving week-to-week, day in day out. It’s great being on the field with Drake.”
Stevenson wasn’t lined up in the backfield on this play. The running back ran a similar route to Bourne, curling into the front of the end zone. He too was covered. As Maye created more time, Stevenson kept working to get open.
“It was a super long play on the field,” Stevenson said. “We needed to score. There was no more time on the clock. I think there was a DB on me. I just kept trying to work him and get open and (Drake) threw me the ball.”
Maye excites teammates
When the Patriots drafted Maye, the quarterback was 21 years old. He turned 22 at the end of August, making him the youngest player on the Patriots roster.
Considering he’s only started five NFL games, the rookie’s performance and quick improvements have his teammates optimistic for the future. The Patriots lost on Sunday, and players were somber in the visitor’s locker room, but their eyes lit up when speaking about Maye and his special abilities.
“We have to build. He gives us a lot of potential to grow,” Bourne said. “I think that’s the greatest thing about Drake. He’s doing things you don’t really see at a young age. I’m very excited. I want to be better for him. I think everybody understands in our offensive room, we have something in him that can make everybody better. He has that aura to him. You just know he’s going to do his thing. He’s not scared. That’s somebody you want to follow.”
Maye ran for 95 yards on Sunday. That’s the third most rushing yards by a Patriots quarterback in team history and the most since Steve Grogan ran for 103 yards in 1976. Maye also completed 29-of-41 passes for 206 yards with a touchdown and two interceptions. The final interception sealed the win for Tennessee in overtime.
In short order, Maye has already shown he’s a quarterback players want to follow.
“We were feeding off of him and it was a positive thing to see that we have such a young player playing at such a high level,” Onwenu said. “You can look to the future and know the quarterback’s position is going to be in good hands.”
