Giardi: Mike's Musings on a Maye injury? And a dominating defense in Denver

FOXBOROUGH - Is Drake Maye hurt? If you spend any time on the internet or listening to the radio, you have no doubt come across “reports” that the Patriots’ quarterback injured his shoulder during Sunday’s AFC Championship game in Denver.

There is clear video evidence of Maye shaking out his right arm on more than one occasion, although the countless online sleuths have pointed out several different plays when that issue may have actually happened.

I can tell you Mike Vrabel didn’t dismiss the notion that something did happen to Maye when we spoke with him this morning, but he also didn’t have the panic button by his side.

“No, I wouldn’t say that anybody hurt anything,” Vrabel told us when asked if Maye got hurt against the Broncos. “Again, this is a sport where there’s going to be things that come up, and I don’t think that there’s a - we’ll talk about whatever status each player has for the game once we’re required to. We understand that. But we were able to function offensively, throw the football, run the football. So that’s kind of where everybody is at."

Vrabel added that the Pats will do what they always do: “We’ll do everything we can to help our players be prepared and get ready for this game.”

The Patriots won’t return to the practice field until Thursday, so go ahead and nervously pace around your house until then. Or, take a deep breath and avoid any freakouts until we get more concrete information. 

THUMBS UP

The K’Lavon Chaisson you are seeing now is the same guy who opened our eyes to the possibilities back in August. Back then, Chaisson was one of the best 4 or 5 players on the field. In these playoffs, the free-agent-to-be edge rusher has been a presence both against the pass, his specialty, and the run. I had him down for a handful plus plays vs. a lagging Broncos ground attack, and he impacted Jarrett Stidham on at least 3 occasions. I also caught him yapping at some of those offensive linemen. The Pats will need him to have one more complete performance before someone probably ante’s up more money than the Pats will.

If I could buy stock in a player, I would have emptied the savings account on Milton Williams. The big-ticket defensive tackle spent the afternoon in Denver’s backfield. If he hadn’t, Stidham is probably gearing up to be the most-talked-about backup quarterback since Nick Foles. Instead, Williams recorded five QB pressures by my count, including the critical 4th-and-1 from the Pats’ 14-yard line. Williams wasn’t blocked. That’s a regrettable error by Denver, and the quick-as-a-cat defender got in Stidham’s face, forced the quick throw, and, with help from Craig Woodson in pass coverage, got the Pats off the field. Williams has been worth every penny.

Speed and violence. Let’s call it the Christian Elliss story. He helped change the course of the game, flying off the edge on an all-out blitz with the Broncos leading 7-0. Denver had designed a screen on the opposite side, but Eliiss closed so quickly that Stidham panicked. The result was a fumble, and two plays later, Drake Maye walked into the end zone, and just like that, it was a whole new ballgame. The violence part wouldn’t be discernible to most, but on a blitz later in the game, instead of making a beeline for the QB, the linebacker steamrolled the guard blocking Williams. Both he and Williams ended up in Stidham’s face, forcing him to be slightly behind on a 3rd down throw (receiver should have caught it). 

There’s always a moment or three in a game where Carlton Davis surrenders a catch or gets called for a flag. Not this weekend. The veteran corner wasn’t tested much - the Broncos’ wideouts leave something to be desired. But Davis didn’t give an inch, and not only that, but he brought physicality on the edge, once stopping a play in the flat by himself, and another, fending off two blockers and forcing the ball carrier to go out of bounds. I dig that about him.

Could you imagine what life would be like without Rhamondre Stevenson? He played 60 of the 64 snaps on offense (TreVeyon Henderson got the other 4), ran the ball 25 times for 71 yards, and did rock-solid work in pass protection, including a great, ‘How did he see that’ block of linebacker Alex Singleton on the flea flicker that Stevenson pitched back to Maye. That freed the quarterback to beautifully layer that 31-yard strike to Mack Hollins (his best throw of the day by a mile). The veteran running back also helped pave the way, along with Garrett Bradbury, on Maye’s QB draw for a touchdown. There wasn’t much there for Stevenson all day. But he almost always found what was.

26 snaps for Cory Durden, and three-plus plays. Leonard Taylor blocked a field goal and saved us from overtime. Anfernee Jennings is doing what he does vs. the run. Khyiris Tonga had a massive tackle-for-loss after Bryce Baringer only netted 26 yards on a punt, and set the Broncos up with a first-and-10 at the Pats’ 33. Tonga dropped RJ Harvey for a 3-yard loss, and 3 plays later, Taylor got his block. Woodson has been a rock and another speed-and-violence guy.

THUMBS DOWN

Yes, Drake Maye’s legs helped swing the game. They don’t win without ‘em. But his accuracy was spotty, and I didn’t love some of the decision-making. I know your counter: he protected the ball. Yep, he did. Stidham didn’t. Umm, that is a journeyman backup we’re talking about here. Maye is finishing no worse than 2nd in the MVP voting. More of that level of play against Seattle is recommended.

I appreciate Jaylinn Hawkins’ aggressiveness, but he whiffed on a couple of tackles and was late on a dig route (it fell incomplete, so no harm, no foul...this time).

Perhaps I should give Bryce Baringer credit for not dropping a snap or having a kick blocked. But man, he struggled mightily, especially as the conditions deteriorated. That 26-yarder in the 4th quarter could have been the thing we remember had Taylor not blocked the field goal on the ensuing possession. And if I’m putting Baringer here, Andy Borregales has to join him. That 46-yard field goal in the third quarter was with the wind at his back. It would have been nice to have that.

Expected more from the tight ends as pass catchers in this game, at least before the snow and wind turned the Pats into a mostly conservative operation. Hunter Henry had two catches for 12 yards and a drop (though that was some nifty run after catch on the TE screen in the red area), and Austin Hooper wasn’t targeted once.