New England Patriots quarterback Drake Maye is all smiles while warming up during practice Wednesday. Mark Stockwell/Boston Herald
New England Patriots quarterback Drake Maye is all smiles while warming up during practice Wednesday. Mark Stockwell/Boston Herald
FOXBORO — The Patriots’ offense played its best game of the season in Sunday’s win over the Bills, but quarterback Drake Maye believes this is just the beginning.
Maye finally looked like his 2025 regular-season form in the victory, leading a fourth-quarter comeback, game-winning drive while completing 22-of-37 passes for 269 yards with three touchdowns and one interception, earning AFC Offensive Player of the Week honors.
It wasn’t a perfect performance — he also carried the ball eight times for 54 yards with a lost fumble — but it was a significant improvement over his first three weeks of the 2026 season, when he was playing so poorly that it led some media pundits to wonder if he could regain his MVP runner-up form.
“I think we’re just kind of starting up the mountain,” Maye said Wednesday. “I think you’d like to think that and we’ve got to go prove that. But it’s a race for us to improve and knowing that you’ve got to improve throughout the season and throughout the year for these teams. And these teams, once you get closer to the end that are are going to kind of be at their best at the end, and I think that’s one of the things that you strive to do throughout the year.
“And knowing that — you like to say everybody, especially on offense — you like to say that obviously the first three weeks wasn’t what we wanted to put out there, and you’ve got to try to build off last week, and knowing that it’s not just going to do it for you. You’ve got to put the work in and the focus, and hopefully continue to catch a trend and catch a stride.”
The Patriots — especially on offense — could be a depleted team when they take on the Raiders in Week 5. Running back Rhamondre Stevenson and wide receiver Mack Hollins both missed practice on Wednesday. Top wideout A.J. Brown will be out for at least next week with the high ankle sprain that landed him on injured reserve in Week 1.
Wide receiver Romeo Doubs, who caught two touchdowns in Week 4, will need to continue to step up in place of Brown and potentially Hollins.
Patriots quarterback Drake Maye passes the ball during a drill Wednesday. Mark Stockwell/Boston Herald
Patriots quarterback Drake Maye passes the ball during a drill Wednesday. Mark Stockwell/Boston Herald
Maye has been building chemistry with Doubs, who now has 12 catches for 203 yards with two touchdowns through four games, on the practice field.
“These practice reps and what we’re getting in practice and trying to just build that into the game is kind of the biggest thing,” Maye said. “I felt like you kind of feel like you’re in a good spot going throughout the week and you like to see things show up on Sunday, and I think that did. So that was one of the cool things to see him rewarded for the work he’s put in and finally getting the end zone. He keeps on doing things the right way, and he’s going to keep on making plays for us.”
Maye couldn’t fully explain what led him to perform so much better in Week 4 than he did in the first three weeks of the season.
The QB had thrown just one touchdown with six interceptions and a lost fumble while beginning the season 1-2.
It seemingly all clicked for Maye against the Bills.
“I think I try to stay the same and try to treat every week like the same,” Maye said. “I wish I could try to point something to different, but no, I think it’s just a habit of getting confidence in the guys around us and around me, and I think the guys up front did a heck of a job, and just trying to give our guys chances in the passing game.
“I think we hit a little more, maybe we hit a few with the ones that I felt like were there to be made. I think we missed those kind of the first few weeks of some opportunities for big plays, and I think we hit that. But really, just trying to get back at after in practice and and try to tell you the plan the best I can and realize that treat every week like you got to play well and play well at my position to end up on the right side of things.”
Last week, offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels highlighted Maye’s unwavering confidence in himself even when things aren’t going well.
McDaniels even notices it when playing golf or pickleball with his quarterback. Maye said it comes from being the youngest of four brothers.
“Nowadays it’s more of things that aren’t as physical, but used to be basketball,” Maye said. “My brother Luke would drive by and dunk one, and then I gotta go, now it’s my ball, and I gotta go through something with it. So there’s definitely times growing up where I felt like I can’t change and just kind of take my ball and go home. As my mom used to say, never take your ball and just go home. So you face it.”
Maye and the Patriots have a chance to prove last week wasn’t a fluke on Sunday at home against the Raiders.