ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. — For the first time since last regular season, Drake Maye resembled the Patriots quarterback who finished as the 2025 MVP runner-up in Sunday’s [29-26 win](https://www.bostonherald.com/2026/10/04/best-and-worst-what-we-learned-in-patriots-29-26-season-altering-win-over-bills/) over the Bills.
Maye was not perfect, but he orchestrated a fourth-quarter comeback, game-winning drive against one of the NFL’s best teams while completing 22-of-37 passes for 269 yards with three touchdowns and an interception while rushing eight times for 54 yards with a lost fumble.
It was the rebound that Patriots coaches and fans alike have been searching for since Maye entered the 2026 season, pressing in much of the same way he struggled in last postseason’s Super Bowl run.
“Just extremely prepared and focused, and had a good week of practice,” head coach Mike Vrabel said after the game of Maye’s week in practice. “For the most part, I thought that there was some protection. I thought he was decisive. If guys are — everybody’s out of there and taking off and running, that certainly helps. And a lot for us to correct. But I really just appreciate the way that we competed and that we fought against a good veteran football team.”
Maye came into the game with just one touchdown and six interceptions with a lost fumble. He was coming off perhaps the worst game of his NFL career against the Jaguars, when he completed just 56% of his passes with two interceptions and a lost fumble.
Even with the comeback win over the Patriots’ biggest current AFC East rivals, Maye wasn’t completely content.
“Yeah, I think we definitely gotta built off it,” Maye said. “I think this is relieving a little bit, but we still got some work left out there. We left our defense in some bad positions. We got the ball back twice in that third quarter where we got a chance to really put it on them, and I’m just proud of the way the guys fought. I think nobody blinked when we were on the sideline and they scored and went up 26-21 and we just did what we do, and just thankful for those guys and stepping up, man.
“Everybody’s stepping up, and we got different guys in there, and practicing some of these plays with guys in there, and it’s just cool what this game brings people together, and that’s what makes it so special.”
The Patriots entered the 2026 season with A.J. Brown as their top wide receiver. He suffered a high ankle sprain less than three quarterbacks into the first game of the season, and Mack Hollins stepped up as his top replacement.
Hollins didn’t finish Sunday’s game due to a calf injury, forcing Romeo Doubs, Efton Chism and tight end Hunter Henry to take on bigger roles.
Doubs caught six passes on nine targets for 58 yards with two touchdowns. Maye’s interception was thrown low to Doubs. The Patriots wide receiver dropped the ball when he hit the ground, and it flew into the air and picked off by Bills cornerback Dee Alford.
Maye took the blame, despite it being an unlucky play.
“I told him that one’s on me and forget about it,” Maye said. “And he did just that. Came back and made a big play, a couple big plays, and he just continues to show up.”
The most important moment of the game undoubtedly came when the Patriots were trailing 26-21 with 4:21 left in the game after the Bills had taken the lead on a 34-yard touchdown from Josh Allen to Keon Coleman.
It took just eight plays for Maye to push the Patriots’ offense down the field, and they faced just one third down all series. Maye’s [game-winning throw](https://www.bostonherald.com/2026/10/04/patriots-efton-chism-makes-snag-of-the-year-elicits-dig-out-of-bills-vet/) was a 23-yard strike deep down the right sideline to Chism for a touchdown.
“I thought he progressed through,” Vrabel said. “I thought there was some ability for him to get the ball out and make good decisions. And then also, probably would have liked a better ball to Kyle (Williams), and then came back and gave the better ball to Chiz. So, I thought he just competed today, whether it was a bad snap or dropping the ball, whatever it may have been, to be able to pick up and really just focus on what he needed to do: scrambling, being decisive, using his legs, being accurate.
“So, I’m happy for him. I’m proud of him, and they deserve, he deserves all the credit for 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.”
Maye also began the game strong, leading the Patriots on a 12-play, 97-yard touchdown drive on their first possession. He tossed a 14-yard touchdown pass to Romeo Doubs to cap off that drive. Maye also threw a 2-yard touchdown pass to Doubs midway through the third quarter to retake a 21-17 lead. His lost fumble came when he attempted a throw while facing pressure from three different Bills defenders.