It could have been remembered in New England Patriots history as “The Scramble” – a 12-second, back-and-forth play that might have launched Drake Maye to stardom.
Instead, it became just another example of what could be in the future when Maye possibly develops into a franchise quarterback and the Patriots (2-7) build a team around him.
“Drake is just phenomenal. He keeps showing it week in, week out,” wide receiver Kendrick Bourne said after Maye helped send Sunday’s game into overtime, only to throw a game-ending interception, giving Tennessee a 20-17 win.
“We’ve got to keep supporting him, helping with blocking, catching the ball, running good routes, so we can get the most out of him,” Bourne added. “When you’ve got someone like him, it pushes you to work harder. And that’s what we want as a team, for everyone to give their best because clearly, he is.”
Maye, the No. 3 pick in this year’s draft, spent five games as a backup to Jacoby Brissett before taking over as the starting quarterback.
He lost his first two starts, then was knocked out of his third game with a concussion, allowing Brissett to lead a win against the New York Jets, snapping a six-game losing streak.
After clearing concussion protocol, Maye returned to face the Titans on Sunday, showing a mix of good and bad plays. However, he delivered a dramatic moment with just four seconds left, when New England was down 17-10, from the Tennessee 5-yard line.
Maye took the snap in shotgun formation, moved to his right, then left, ran back to his right, then scrambled up the field before lofting the ball toward the end zone as he was being tackled. Rhamondre Stevenson caught it just as time expired, sending the game into overtime.
But Maye also threw an interception in overtime, leading to the Patriots’ seventh loss in eight weeks.
“I thought I found a way at the end of the fourth and just came up short,” said the rookie from North Carolina, who completed 29 of 41 passes — both career highs — for 209 yards. “Credit to the guys up front. Those five up front were blocking their butts off for 12 seconds. That’s impressive.”
Maye’s running game. The rookie ran the ball 8 times for 95 yards — more than double his previous best. It was the third-highest rushing total for a QB in team history and the most since Steve Grogan ran for 103 yards in 1975.
Five of his runs gained more than 10 yards, and six of them resulted in first downs. In the third quarter, he ran for 5 yards on third-and-5, but the play was called back for holding. On the next attempt, he ran for 22 yards to pick up the first down anyway.
