FOXBOROUGH - I won’t accuse the Patriots offense of playing with their food, but after a sharp start, they settled into that Thursday night malaise. Lucky for them, Drake Maye is the quarterback, and he did what he’s been doing since the opener - took charge.
With the Jets still hanging around, down 14-7, Maye went four-of-four on the second drive of the second half, doing it every which way he could. He started the series by hitting Mack Hollins on a 17-yard dig. Yeah, it was a little high, but Hollins is every bit the 6-4 he’s listed at. Two plays later, getting pressure off both edges, Maye calmly stepped up in the pocket, set his feet and layered a beautiful 21-yard over route to Stefon Diggs. It was then that the crowd joined together to chant “MVP! MVP!” It wasn't the first time on the night, nor the last, but it rang the loudest in that moment. Maye is the new love of their life, this 23-year-old quarterback who saved them from several seasons of irrelevance (oh, the horror!).
"He's my MVP, man," Hunter Henry said. "I love him to death as a player. Obviously, I love him to death as a person. He's my guy. I'll go to bat for him wherever he wants."
"The fans are awesome," Maye said, acknowledging that this time he heard those chants, unlike when they first surfaced weeks ago. "I think it was pretty sweet for the prime time game. Here's my first one at home. Pretty sweet."
Not nearly as sweet as the next snap in that series included a bit of improv that would have made the late, great Robin Williams smile. Maye rolled right and couldn’t find any receiver open. As he worked his way toward the sideline, it looked like he might wisely step out of bounds. But a pair of Jets defenders shunned their actual responsibilities and attacked the mobile Maye. With his head up, he casually dropped the ball over their heads and into the hands of a wide-open Diggs, who added another 18 yards. Maye later capped the drive with another funny-looking throw, pushing a pass to running back TreVeyon Henderson. The rookie was all alone thanks to Josh McDaniels’ brain. He had Diggs line up in the backfield with Henderson, and then flooded the flat with Henry. Two defenders went with Diggs, leaving Henderson all by his lonesome to make it 21-7.
That wasn’t quite the game - the Jets did once again cut it to one score, but the message sent to the fans and both sidelines was undeniable - Maye would not let this one slip away.
"The goal these Thursday nights is to come out with the win. And that's what happened," Maye said. "(There's) things I would look back on, you know, didn't have as much time to prepare for. Some things that I can look back at myself and wish I had some plays back. But at the end of the day, just proud of these guys for the effort, the win."
Henderson muscled his way into the spotlight, scoring three touchdowns (two rushing, one receiving). He became only the second rookie in franchise history to do that, joining Rob Gronkowski, who saw this game live and in person from owner Robert Kraft's luxury suite. The mature second-rounder out of Ohio State thanked God in our postgame interview, but also shouted out the big fellas, including several who helped push him into the end zone on that second rushing score.
"It feels good," Henderson said. "It lets you know that your teammates, they care, and they're out there fighting. I really thank those guys for fighting and just for going the extra mile. It just - it really does mean a lot."
"If it ain't broke, don't fix it," Maye said of the running back's performance. "I think it's big time for him stepping up. And it's been great for him to get all these reps. He wants to be great."
So does Maye. He finished 25-of-34 for 281 yards, one score, and no turnovers. He also managed the pocket so well and so efficiently, taking just one sack. And while he lamented some missed opportunities, he did what he has done consistently this season: put it in the rearview mirror quickly.
"Having short memories in this league as a quarterback, that's what it is," Maye said of overcoming some mid-game struggles. "You're going to get sacked. You're going to have plays going back and just trying to flip the page ... It's just kind of a mindset of shooters shoot. Me and Hunter play a lot of ping pong. It's the next point. Just keep going."
"He doesn't let bad things carry over," Henry added. "Maybe a miss, or a drive where maybe we didn't execute the way we wanted to. He kind of has that next-play mindset. That consistency is huge for us."
And to think, this is just Maye's second year, and 23rd career start.
"I would say his performance in general has been what we expect," Mike Vrabel concluded. "We have high expectations for Drake. He has high expectations for himself. He'll continue to improve and know that he'll stay humble through this all."
Who wouldn't sign up for that?