As Drake Maye answered the first question of his postgame press conference, he searched for the right way to describe his team, the Patriots, delivering an upset win in Buffalo.
“I think this is (big sigh) this is… it's relieving a little bit,” Maye said, finding the word, smiling.
Based on all the noise around the team - the shoulder, his relationship with Mike Vrabel and Josh McDaniels, his subpar decision-making - this was a needed performance and a needed win, breathing life into a season that was desperate for it.
“That's this position playing the NFL. You don't turn the ball over, and you feel like you left plays out there. That's what happens. And I got full trust in myself, and I think my teammates came and pumped me up this week was cool. It was cool to see, and let's make this game so special.”
“He’s very poised. Very calm. Very intentional,” Will Campbell said. “I don’t think he flinches ever. I think that’s something that helps him so much: he never is up and down riding the rollercoaster of the ups and downs of the game. He’s just even-keeled, looking to make the next play.”
“I'm happy for him,” Vrabel said. “I'm proud of him, and I mean they - he deserves all the credit, you know. I mean, for just however things have been, the only thing that matters is what we're going to do the next opportunity we get, and sometimes that's hard for everybody to understand. But I think he really took that to heart. “
For the second time in his young career, Maye delivered a 4th-quarter comeback (Baltimore last season being the other). It came after Josh Allen took advantage of a coverage screw-up by safety Craig Woodson to hit Keon Coleman on a 34-yard scoring strike late in the fourth quarter. The Pats offense got the ball back with 4:21 on the clock, needing a touchdown. They got it, with Maye making almost all the right plays.
“Nobody blinked when we were down the sideline,” he said. “They scored and went up, you know, 26-21, and we just did what we do, and just thanks to those guys and stepping up, man. Everybody's stepping up, and we got different guys in there, and not practicing some of these plays with guys in there (Chism on the TD), and it's just cool with this game. Brings people together, and that's what makes it so special.”
The third-year pro got the drive started by hitting Hunter Henry on an over-route for 14 yards. After a dangerous throwaway the following down, Maye bought himself a little more time on second down, sliding to his left before hitting Romeo Doubs for 12 yards to move the chains.
That confidence, which was on display for most of the day, took hold on a