One bad half of football hasn’t changed the way the Baltimore Ravens view Drake Maye.
“He's their best player,” defensive coordinator Zach Orr said, “and he's really blossomed into one of the top quarterbacks in his second year, which is impressive.”
"I think he is playing on a high level, on an elite level," safety Alohi Gilman said.
“He’s had a great year,” admired fellow safety Kyle Hamilton, “He’s only in his second year, right? He’s probably going to be a problem in this league for a long time.”
There’s no concern about who Maye is or what he’s about in Foxborough, either. That’s not a newsflash for any of us who have been watching or talking to the folks that matter, but it’s always nice to be reassured.
“I think Drake's done an amazing job of learning from every opportunity,” Josh McDaniels told us on Thursday about the young quarterback’s second-half struggles on Sunday versus the Bills. “I think the same thing we said in training camp is true today. We either win or we'll learn from it, and I think that he's a great embodiment of what that means, because everything that we didn't do well in the game, I know he's going to try to do everything he can to learn from it, so that we don't make the same mistake twice.”
Of the many things we have observed and written about regarding Maye, his ability to learn from week to week- sometimes series to series - and not be an error repeater is near the top of the list. That is rare for someone so young.
“I think before we talk about the physical tools, I think it's the mental man,” Orr said. “They put everything on his dude's plate. I mean, this is a new system for him this year. He has full control, and he has to get them in the right checks in the run game. He has to point out the most dangerous man for the receiver to block. He has to get them in the right protection. Usually, centers handle that with young quarterbacks. He's doing it.
“He's sight adjusting routes. He's checking plays. ...That's what really impressed me with him. I'm like, ‘Man, this, this guy's in his second year, and he has full control of the whole offense.’ He's running the show like nobody's telling him what to do.”
McDaniels confirmed that Maye does, in fact, have that kind of sway at the line of scrimmage (as we’ve observed over the course of the season): “Drake does a great job with our check with me ... understanding what the parameters are and getting us in the play that we're supposed to be in. Honest to God, I don't remember one that he's missed.”
“When the pressure's on, you want to play within the system, play within the scheme, and use your teammates around you,” Maye said. “I've been trying to do that as much as I can because those guys around me are great players, and realize that you don't do it by yourself.”
That’s not to say that Maye’s incapable of putting on the cape and, as we saw in the first half against Buffalo, out-Josh Allening Josh Allen. He’s made our jaws hit the floor almost weekly, to the point where we’ve come to expect it. But it’s clear that for this team to be what it’s been since the start of week four, Maye has to play at that MVP-type level from the first snap to the last. Anything less just won’t do.
TUA’S TIME IS OVER IN MIAMI
No quarterback got as much support, publicly or otherwise, as what Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel gave former first-round pick Tua Tagovailoa. As we later found out, McDaniel replaced Brian Flores in Miami for several reasons, but one of the biggest was Flores’ disdain for his quarterback. To say that the relationship was toxic would be an understatement.
McDaniel entered the picture and crafted an offense around the former Alabama star, and got him playing like a borderline top-10 quarterback for a couple of seasons. But Tua’s play has declined dramatically over the past year and change, and after a dreadful performance in Pittsburgh on Monday night, the Fins have ripped the band-aid off, benching their quarterback in favor of late-round rookie Quinn Ewers. The financial implications of this move are seismic.
Per Jason Fitzgerald from Over the Cap, here are the implications should Miami choose to part ways with Tua after the season.
- Cutting him would leave the Dolphins with $99.2 million in dead money they need to account for. As a post-June 1st cut, it would be $67.2M in 2026 and $31.8M in 2027. They would receive a credit for any salary earned from another team in 2026.
- He would cost Miami $54M in cash to cut. The biggest number so far has been Russell Wilson at $37.8M. Christian Wilkins will jump into the $48M range if he wins his grievance over his release to take the top spot.
- On March 15, $3 million of his 2027 salary will become guaranteed.
- The largest single-season dead money charge for a player was Wilson at $53 million ($85 millon over two)
For his part, Tagovailoa put on the best public face he could about the benching.
“Disappointed, I’m not happy about it. But, something out of my control,” Tagovailoa said. “I would say the biggest thing, and it’s being honest with myself as well, has been my performance. I haven’t been performing up to the level and the capabilities that I have in the past.”
He got that right. Tagovailoa leads the NFL in interceptions (15), and during their four-game win streak, which ended Monday night in Pittsburgh, he didn’t once throw for more than 175 yards in any of those contests. His -0.06 EPA per dropback is fourth worst of any qualifying QB (300 or more attempts), better than only Cam Ward, Geno Smith, and Joe Flacco (his Cleveland numbers were atrocious). He also has the fourth-worst QBR.
“Was not good enough,” is how McDaniel described the quarterback’s play.
LOST YEAR
A season ago, the Washington Commanders were the talk of the town. Led by a young, exciting quarterback, a player-friendly second-chance head coach (Dan Quinn) and offensive coordinator (Kliff Kingsbury), they reached the final four, playing eventual Super Bowl champ Philadelphia in the NFC Championship.
This year, we’re talking about the Commanders for all the wrong reasons. They’re showing their age, the coaching staff hasn’t been able to find consistent answers, and their franchise quarterback can’t stay healthy.
In fact, earlier this week, Washington announced it will shelve Jayden Daniels for the final three games of the season, ending a disappointing second season for the reigning Rookie of the Year. However, they will not place him on IR because they want him to continue practicing.
“We believe this decision allows him to take advantage of the next few weeks in a different way,” Quinn said.
“A lot more emotions,” added Daniels. “… I don’t wanna miss games at all. I’ve been frustrated this whole season, missing games. I want to be out there with my teammates as much as possible, so it’s just been a frustrating year at this point in the year, but you learn from it when you move forward.”
It’s been one thing after another for Daniels. He sprained his knee in week two, suffered a hamstring strain in week seven, and then disclocated his elbow in week nine. Daniels reaggravated that elbow injury upon return in week 14, illustrating that what could go wrong has gone wrong for the dynamic signal caller. Because of his slender build, some wonder if the second-year pro isn’t built to last.
“Other than that one game I missed for the hamstring, I mean, my knee and obviously my elbow, those aren’t things that you could really necessarily prepare for,” Daniels said. “Those are freak accidents and things like that, so it’s most definitely frustrating and, at that time, I would say, traumatic and stuff like that.”
The Commanders are 4-10, having snapped an eight-game losing streak. Daniels finished the campaign, completing 60.6% of his passes (down from 69% in his rookie year), 1262 yards, 8 touchdowns, and 3 interceptions.
“At the end, a great season doesn’t make a career,“ Quinn said of his quarterback. “This year also doesn’t make a career. The thing that excites me is that we’re going to set him up to be great for a long time. That did not happen this season for him, and for us, but I got a lot of confidence that he will, just based on how we’ll go about it and train him. But to say it got off-course, no doubt about it.”
STAR POWER DIMMED
Week 15 was brutal for the league. Two of its premier players, Patrick Mahomes and Micah Parsons, tore their ACLs and are facing extended rehabs that will put their availability for the start of the next season in question.
The Mahomes injury was the final note of this iteration of the Chiefs' dynastic run. Since he became the starter, Kansas City has reached seven straight AFC title games, five Super Bowls, and earned three rings.
“He's a warrior, man. I'm telling you,” Travis Kelce said. “This guy's played through everything, battled through everything, has been crowned champion because he's battled through everything, and he's gonna battle through this. It's the only way this guy is wired, man. He's a fearless, fearless warrior when it comes to this football thing, and he's gonna make sure that he comes back stronger than ever.”
I do not doubt that. We saw Tom Brady do it (at the same age). Brady was asked if he had any advice for Mahomes during his Let’s Go! Podcast with Jim Gray (that is still a thing, and I’m glad I don’t have to listen to it weekly as I did when Tom played).
"The only thing you can do is focus on what's ahead of you and not look back," Brady said. "And just say, OK, this is part of what my career is going to be. And a lot of people have gone through it, and a lot of people have overcome it. You've just got to put as much diligence into the rehab process. And I always feel like the faster you rehab, the faster you can get back to practicing the sport that you know you love.
“I think sometimes people will pace themselves. Instead of training mode, they're in rehab mode. I think you gotta get through rehab mode as fast as possible, and then you get back to training mode. But that requires an all-out commitment, and it's the same commitment that the great professional athletes make to be great at their profession. When you go through the rehab process, you need that same level of focus and determination."
But as Mahomes begins that process, his Chiefs will miss the playoffs (officially eliminated on Sunday), and with Kelce almost certain to retire and Chris Jones’ paycheck not equaling his production, this team will have a different look in 2026.
Meanwhile, Parsons had transformed the Packers into a legit Super Bowl contender. He’s one of the best finishers in football (Myles Garrett, the two edges from Houston) and has pushed a talented roster to a higher level this season. Yes, they have plenty of good pieces on that defense - Rashaan Gary, Lukas Van Ness, Kingsley Engabare - but their lives were considerably easier with Parsons attracting all the attention he did. Now? They must figure it out without the 26-year-old screaming off the edge or terrorizing interior offensive linemen by standing over the ‘A’ gap.
“I don't think anybody has to go above and beyond. Everybody's [just] got to do their job, and everybody's got to be dialed in,” head coach Matt LaFleur said. “Because you just don't know what play is going to be the difference. I mean, there are so many plays throughout the course of the game when you're playing good football teams, it can be a couple of plays that truly make the difference. “
The injury bug has bitten the Packers hard this season. They have now lost four of their top players to season-enders: TE Tucker Kraft (ACL), C Elgton Jenkins (fractured lower leg), and DT Devonte Wyatt (ankle). And yet there’s still plenty of talent on this roster to be a threat.
“We can still write our story,” Gary added.
NERD NUMBERS
- Derrick Henry and TreVeyon Henderson are each tied for the NFL lead with 4 rush TDs of 25+ yards in 2025 (also De’Von Achane and Jahmyr Gibbs). Each of Henderson’s is from 50+ yards (T-most by a rookie in a season all-time). Only Jim Brown (1963) and Chris Johnson (2009) have more in a season (5 each). Henderson’s 4 rush TDs of 50+ yards are the most by any player in Patriots franchise history.
- Henderson has 50+ rush yards in each of the last 7 games (0 such games in the first 7 games of 2025). That’s the 3rd-longest active streak in the NFL behind Henry and Achane (9 each).
- The Patriots defense has just 3 takeaways since Week 9 (T-3rd-fewest in span; KC and NYJ).
- Philip Rivers (44 years old) became the 5th player in NFL history to throw a TD pass at age 44 or older. The others: Brady, HOF George Blanda, Vinny Testaverde, and Steve DeBerg. Not bad company for someone with a dad bod.
- Rookie Abdul Carter has 31 quick pressures in 2025, per NGS (4th most in NFL). The Top 3? Denver’s Nik Bonitto (37), GB’s Parsons (34), and Houston’s Will Anderson Jr. (34). A quick pressure is defined as getting to the QB in 2.5 seconds or less.
- Jaxson Dart is the 3rd rookie in the Super Bowl era with a 90+ passer rating in 7 of his first 9 career starts (tied with Dan Marino, Dak Prescott, Daniels). Now, if he can just stay on the field.
- The Cowboys are allowing the 2nd most PPG (30.0) in the NFL in 2025 (CIN: 31.2). They are allowing a league-high 254.8 passing YPG. Defensive coordinator Matt Eberflus might need to update his resume.
- Justin Herbert has been sacked 49 times in 2025 (career high, T-most in NFL). He’s also taken 116 QB hits. The now-injured Mahomes (102 QB hits) is the only other QB with 100+ QB hits taken.
- The Bills held their opponents WR1 to fewer than 45 yards in each of the last 3 games: Stefon Diggs to 3 rec, 26 yds, 0 TD on 4 targets in Week 15, Ja’Marr Chase to 5 rec, 44 yds, 0 TD on 8 targets in Week 14, DK Metcalf to 3 rec, 32 yds, 0 TD on 5 targets in Week 13. Buffalo has the second-ranked pass defense in football.