I have no idea what the tape will ultimately say about Drake Maye’s performance Sunday night in Baltimore, but I can tell you that his play in the final quarter was about as good as a quarterback can be.
Down 24-13, with a number of shaky throws and two turnovers on his game resume, Maye once again demonstrated that what happened on the last play or last series doesn’t linger. The 23-year-old was a badass on back-to-back drives, taking the Patriots’ 73 and 89 yards, erasing the deficit by playing borderline flawless football, and earning his first-ever fourth-quarter comeback.
“Great experience for me,” Maye said of overcoming the lows to reach the heights he did. “I wasn't seeing it great, wasn't making great throws, threw a couple in the dirt. From there, just battling back and having to have the confidence myself and the confidence in the guys around me. The guys supported me all game. We never got down, and there’s still belief over there. So hope to continue that. And we're gonna need a game like this probably down the road.”
Maye completed all six of his throws on the Pats' first series of the 4th quarter, and added a two-point conversion completion to cut the deficit to three, 24-21. He did it in the face of constant pressure, but it’s almost as if the hits helped dial him in. They came fast and furious, forcing Maye to take the mall profits on the first four plays of the drive - a pair to Hunter Henry, one to Kyle Williams, then a quick out to Mack Hollins.
The Ravens were digging deep into their bag of tricks. Defensive coordinator Zach Orr blitzed safeties, corners, and linebackers. He showed pressure, crowding the line of scrimmage, and then peeled off two or three defenders, leaving just four rushing. But Maye, who struggled with some of these looks in the first half, had no such issues with the game on the line. Then, when given an opportunity down the field, Maye took it, dropping a gorgeous throw over Williams’ shoulder for 37 yards and a touchdown. The catch was also deserving of all the plaudits you want to throw at it.
“Offense continued to attack, and our quarterback battled,” Mike Vrabel acknowledged. “The receivers came through, and the runners, and I felt like it was a big team win, a huge team win.”
After the defense held their end of the bargain, Maye and the offense got the ball back with 5:02 left on the clock, needing 89 yards to take the lead. The heck with a field goal. The quarterback was
