Drake Maye will face his toughest test of the season on Sunday against the Packers' pass defense.
It's a damn shame he won't have close to his full complement of weapons, so there will be a limit on how much he can accomplish, but this is still a great opportunity for the young quarterback and sets the stage for later when, hopefully, he has more to work with.
The Packers, who lack star talent without Micah Parsons and are playing backups at both linebacker spots, are the most impressive defense on film the Patriots have faced this season. And every conceivable stat backs that up.
The Packers are fourth in overall defensive DVOA, and are third in pass DVOA. The only teams better against the pass are the Vikings (first) and the Buccaneers. That puts the Packers ahead of the Seahawks (fourth), Broncos (sixth), Jaguars (10th), Steelers (11th) and Bears (13th) among the teams the Patriots have played or will play this season.
Maye has faced some tough defenses so far with varying degrees of success, but the Packers are a unique challenge.
The Seahawks (54.9 passer rating in a loss) are probably the most talented defense in the league, and brought some scheme in the pass rush.
The Steelers (75.6 rating in a win) make their case with great individual pass rushers.
The Jaguars (48.6 rating in a loss) do a little bit of everything, but also have the benefit of facing an opponent playing from behind.
The Bears (117.8 rating in a loss) are a much different unit now with the additions of Jeffrey Simmons and Montez Sweat, but Dennis Allen's third-down packages put a lot of stress on a quarterback.
The good news going into the Packers matchup is that Maye played really well against the Bears, aside from the end zone interception. His confidence at the line of scrimmage was unmistakable, and his decision-making was among his best of the season.
Up until the Bears game, Maye had struggled with defenses that changed the picture for the quarterback after the snap. That's what he faced in his seven-game struggle dating back to the start of last season's postseason. The performance against the Bears, while lacking much talent in the secondary, was a clear sign of progress for Maye as he improves in one of his last remaining weak — actually, let's call it unproven — spots: winning the game from the pocket against good pass defenses (turnovers being the other).
That's good, because the Bears were like a starter set for what Maye will see from the Packers on Sunday afternoon.
What defensive coordinator Jonathan Gannon has done in his first season with Green Bay is nothing short of extraordinary. A year ago, the Packers finished 19th in defensive DVOA, and were 17th against the pass. The Packers also rank highly in two categories that have caused Maye issues: turnovers caused (they are first with 15 and 10 interceptions), and fourth in fewest big pass plays allowed. The Packers are on a five-game streak of now allowing more than 20 points, and they've gotten at least two turnovers in every game.
How they have done it is the unique part.
Up front, they are a lot like the Patriots: lack star power, but their schemed blitzes off simulated pressures wreck pass protection and confuse quarterbacks. Previous opponents like the Bears (on third down) and Jaguars are similar, so it's not unfamiliar to Maye.
But the Packers will be Maye's most unique challenge to date because those schemed pressures are