New England Patriots quarterback Drake Maye completed 21-of-23 passes for 222 yards and two touchdowns against his head coach’s former Tennessee Titans. (AP Photo/George Walker IV)
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Drake Maye delivered as many touchdowns as incompletions in his return to Nissan Stadium.
The New England Patriots had lost in overtime there during the quarterback’s rookie season. But against the team once overseen by his head coach, 11 months back looked more like 11 years back on Sunday.
Maye’s 21-of-23 afternoon against the Tennessee Titans featured 222 passing yards and 62 rushing yards.
It featured highlight-reel touchdowns to tight end Austin Hooper and wide receiver Kayshon Boutte. And for the fourth game in a row, it featured no turnovers for the No. 3 overall pick in the 2024 NFL draft.
“I think there’s an athleticism to him that’s really, really cool,” Mike Vrabel said during his postgame press conference on Sunday. “I think he’s really accurate from all different spots, whether it’s in the pocket, off platform. I mean, he really has done a nice job so far spreading the football around. But there is an accuracy to him that’s been really good for us.”
A franchise record was reset in what became a 31-13 win.
Maye completed 91.3% of his throws to eclipse Tom Brady’s single-game mark of 88.5% from the late in the 2009 season, per the team. The captain out of the University of North Carolina also tied the Patriots Hall of Famer’s 2007 MVP season by reaching 200 passing yards, a 135-or-higher passer rating and two passing touchdowns for the fourth time this campaign.
No throw ended up touching the turf for a stretch of 16 attempts. By game’s end, Next Gen Stats had tracked the 23-year-old for a career-best +24.4% completion rate over expectation.
“Yeah, left some out there that I ended up running that I could have thrown,” Maye told reporters in his press conference following Sunday’s win. “I think I tucked it a couple times when I shouldn’t have. I think maybe I could get the backside progression more. But yeah, I think I’m trying to be careful with the football and trying to challenge down the field and not just be doing ‘Checkdown Charlie.’ So just trying to throw it to the guys that are open and they’re making great plays.”
Maye has completed 75.2% of his passes for 1,744 yards in 2025. Twelve touchdowns and two interceptions have arrived through the air.
He stands with a 116.4 passer rating under Vrabel and offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels. And after starting at 1-2, the Patriots now stand at 5-2 and in the AFC East lead.
“There is a lot of demand there from Josh and myself, and I think he’s responded to that as far as the leadership that he’s had to show this offense,” Vrabel said after receiving a game ball from his starting quarterback. “Kept talking about he wants to earn it. Well, I mean, I told him that he’s earned it. I think he doesn’t like something in practice, then he gets it fixed. And if he wants a better Friday practice, then he talks about it before we go out there on Friday. I think those guys respond to him and the things that he says and the way that he operates.”
On Sunday, Maye became the third quarterback under age 24 to post a 100-or-higher passer rating in each of his initial four road starts of a season in NFL history. According to the league, he also became the third quarterback under age 24 to post at least 200 passing yards and a 100-or-higher passer rating in six consecutive games.
“We’re instilling confidence in each other and confidence in myself,” Maye said. “Just keep on going out there and getting some wins under your belt, it helps with that. So just keep on going and just not changing throughout the week and just trying to get better.”