When the New England Patriots drafted Drake Maye third overall in 2024, they looked at the former UNC quarterback as their franchise’s future.
Now a couple weeks into January, Maye is quickly proving himself as “the guy” up in Foxborough, so much that he’s in the MVP conversation.
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Maye made his long-awaited playoff debut on Sunday night, helping the Patriots to a 16-3 win over the Los Angeles Chargers. Maye completed 17 of his 29 passes for 268 yards and a touchdown, which came on a fourth-quarter strike to Hunter Henry, but Maye also threw a pick and lost one fumble.
When asked about his NFL Postseason debut, Maye was critical of his own performance – but praised his teammates for picking him up – according to ESPN’s Mike Reiss.
“Wasn’t pretty, that’s for sure,” Maye said. “But this defense was so fun to watch. They won the game for us. I didn’t throw very well. Need to be better. Just got to be better, whether it’s accuracy or ball placement or little things, making decisions faster. Held on to the ball a little bit. It wasn’t my best, but that’s why you have teammates. Those guys picked me up.”
In a season filled with historic achievements, Maye joined NFL GOAT Tom Brady as the only New England quarterbacks – in the past 35 years – to win their playoff debuts.
Maye’s Patriots will play again Sunday, January 18 in the AFC Divisional Round. Will Maye exceed his own expectations, delivering New England to its first Conference Championship game appearance since 2018?
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This article originally appeared on Tar Heels Wire: UNC football legend Drake Maye talks about his NFL Postseason debut