New England Patriots quarterback Drake Maye completed 19-of-23 passes for 230 yards and accounted for three touchdowns against the Miami Dolphins. (Photo by Rich Storry/Getty Images)
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A week removed from attempting 46 passes at home, Drake Maye attempted just 23 passes on the road.
The New England Patriots quarterback made them count. He did so at Hard Rock Stadium, where his side had not won since 2019. That streak snapped on Sunday afternoon.
A fast start was needed against the Miami Dolphins as well as the September heat. Through a pair of drives that spanned 68 and 70 yards worth of offense, as well as a fourth-and-3 conversion, Maye threw a pair of pinpoint touchdowns to wide receivers Mack Hollins and Kayshon Boutte.
By halftime, the team captain had only seen a pair of throws fall incomplete. But it was only a 15-14 lead by then. It became a 33-27 final.
“We were preaching all week start fast,” Maye told reporters during his postgame press conference in Miami Gardens. “We did that, and we knew they could respond, and they responded well. We’ve got to come out of the half better. We had a three-and-out. Got to keep the drives going in the first half, get a first down, and once we do that, we’re pretty tough to stop. That’s our mindset. Like I said, just enjoy this win and get back after next week.”
Maye finished 19-of-23 passing for 230 yards with three total touchdowns and no turnovers on Sunday.
The 23-year-old starter had a stretch of nine consecutive completions. Next Gen Stats charted him for a completion percentage over expected of +13.5% and an average time to throw of 2.57 seconds.
Mike Vrabel’s main takeaway?
“That it was hugely efficient,” the Patriots head coach said during his Monday press conference after getting the first win of his tenure. “The ball went where it was supposed to go. He was decisive.”
The AFC East opener featured five lead changes. It featured back-to-back touchdowns by punt returner Malik Washington and kick returner Antonio Gibson. It featured back-to-back missed extra points by rookie kicker Andres Borregales, too, before field goals from 22 and 53 yards out sailed through.
Four false starts, three holds and an illegal shift were also called against New England’s offense. Miami’s offense, meanwhile, averaged 9.7 yards per play in the first half. It was all overcome.
“Just stayed cool and calm,” Maye said. “I was feeling good. Feeling good in warmups. Kind of down here in this humidity is what I grew up throwing in North Carolina. The ball feels good, spinning it well. From there, trying to get the guys quick completions, trying to let the guys up front get used to the flow of the game.”
With pressure closing in late in the third quarter, Maye delivered a drop in the bucket over the shoulders of Rhamondre Stevenson. The veteran running back finished with a team-high 88 receiving yards, including a career-long catch of 55 that gave way to a touchdown and a two-point conversion.
As for Maye, he finished with a 137.3 passer rating, a career best of his own.
“I thought he did a great job of transferring up into the pocket, setting his depth, and then transferring up, being really good with the football, being able to pull through with two hands in the pocket when they have edge rushers and we’re on the road,” Vrabel said of Maye. “That’s where it’s going to be really critical, is to be able to set the depth of the pocket, get back, keep your eyes downfield, transfer up into the pocket and deliver the football, and he did that on multiple occasions.”
With both his eyes and his legs, Maye moved the chains on second-and-1, third-and-1 and third-and-6 scrambles against the Dolphins. The former No. 3 overall pick also rushed into the end zone for his first ground touchdown since December.