If Drake Maye ends up having an NFL career similar to Matthew Stafford's, the New England Patriots will be in pretty good shape going forward.
Stafford is a future Hall of Famer who began his career with the Detroit Lions in 2009 and has spent the last four seasons with the Los Angeles Rams, including a Super Bowl LVI title in 2021. Like Maye, Stafford was a top-three pick (No. 1 overall).
Stafford led the Rams to a 28-22 victory over Maye's Patriots in Sunday's Week 11 game at Gillette Stadium. The 36-year-old quarterback completed 18-of-27 pass attempts for 295 yards with four touchdowns and zero interceptions. It was a fantastic performance in a game the Rams badly needed to win to stay in the NFC West title race.
Maye handled himself pretty well, too. He completed 30-of-40 pass attempts for a career-high 282 yards with two touchdowns and one interception.
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Stafford came away impressed with Maye and is bullish on the young quarterback's future.
"Really talented player. I've watched a little bit of crossover tape just from games, but really talented kid," Stafford told reporters in his postgame press conference Sunday. "Obviously can move great in the pocket. I thought he stood in there a few times today and made some nice plays on third down. He's got a bright future."
Stafford also was asked about Maye during his postgame interview with Kristina Pink of FOX Sports.
“It was fun to watch Drake play today,” Stafford said. “He’s a hell of a talent. Seems to have his head on right and he’s gonna be a really good player for a long time.”
“It was fun to watch [Drake Maye] play today. He’s going to be a really good player for a long time.”
— NFL on FOX Podcast (@NFLonFOXPod) November 17, 2024
Matthew Stafford with high praise for the opposing rookie QB today after the Rams win 🤝 @Kristina_Pink pic.twitter.com/6ZzRKFj5kF
Maye has completed 66.8 percent of his passes for 1,236 yards with nine touchdowns and six interceptions in seven appearances (six starts) as a rookie. His progress since training camp has been remarkable. There is, of course, plenty of room for improvement. For example, he has nine turnovers (six interceptions, three fumbles lost).
But overall, Maye has exceeded expectations as a starting QB, especially when you consider the lackluster performance of the offensive line and the lack of elite talent at the skill positions on the Patriots offense.
The Patriots are headed for another season without playoff football in January. But if Maye continues to develop at this pace (or better), the 2024 season should be considered a resounding success for the franchise.
