Exactly one month before Drake Maye pulled the Patriots out of the mud in Miami, his offensive coordinator explained how this 24-year-old continues to conjure victory from moments of doubt and despair like he’s a wizard instead of just a gifted young quarterback with a love for the big moment.
It was the Thursday sandwiched between the Pats’ loss at Jacksonville and the most recent second-half comeback Maye authored before Sunday.
“Honestly, I’ve played golf with him, pickleball with him, I’ve watched him play football. And I’m not really sure what changes (his confidence),” Josh McDaniels said on Oct 1. “He’s blessed in that regard. You know, when I hit a tee shot in the woods, my confidence is shattered.
“He can do that, and then the next one’s down the middle (of the fairway). It’s 340 (yards), and you’re sitting and going, ‘How did that happen?'”
Indeed, how did that happen?
The Pats shanked Sunday’s first half so badly they trailed 13-3 to the least talented team in football. Again, their offense committed an ugly turnover. Andy Borregales missed another field goal. Mike Vrabel’s defense let Malik Willis, a quarterback they had already sacked five times, to complete a two-minute drill that threatened to derail any midseason momentum after their tough Thursday night loss in Chicago.
Meanwhile, Maye had lost his most trusted target, Hunter Henry, to injury in a game he started without his three best receivers. And thanks to a banged-up offensive line, Dolphins pass rushers were allowed to show up at his doorstep like they were trick-or-treating on a second night of Halloween.
Were it not for Maye, Sunday would have been remembered as yet another visit to the Patriots’ House of Horrors. Instead, the Pats have now won at Miami in consecutive seasons for the first time since 2011-12, a time when The Avengers was just one movie, not an unending series with who knows how many spin-offs.
Making that history required a superhero effort from Maye; a 30-minute showcase of everything that makes him the quarterback, nay, hero the Patriots need right now.
You saw Maye’s resilience, shaking off a three-and-out coming out of halftime where the Patriots lost a yard, thanks to yet another sack allowed by his offensive line.
You saw his brilliant deep ball soar in the third quarter, splitting rain drops until it landed perfectly in the hands of Kyle Williams to split Miami’s defense open for a 43-yard touchdown.
You saw his mobility and preternatural playmaking on the next series, faking an option pitch on a two-yard touchdown run that pushed the Patriots into the lead on third-and-goal.
“We needed (those) six points,” Rhamondre Stevenson said. “And he did it for us.”
New England Patriots quarterback Drake Maye, third from right, is congratulated after scoring a touchdown during the second half of an NFL game against the Miami Dolphins in Miami Gardens, Fla., Sunday, Nov. 1, 2026. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell)
And you saw his scrambling and play extension on the next touchdown, a 48-yard connection with DeMario Douglas that would have been a loss for most quarterbacks when Dolphins defensive end Chop Robinson dove at his feet on a roll-out with nothing between him and another sack of Maye.
Except Maye kept moving, kept standing, and so did the Patriots.
“He can do it all,” Douglas said. “I’m blessed to be a receiver for him.”
The Williams touchdown was an oasis in the desert for a Patriots offense that had a single explosive pass before he scored. Everything came to life once Maye made that throw. The Pats hadn’t run the ball well, either. Later, Stevenson salted away the win by barreling ahead to pick up a first down under pouring rain.
It was the type of statement the Patriots had hoped to make over four clean quarters in Miami instead of a single play late. But, as fate or dumb luck would have it, they stumbled into a shocking deficit that Maye dragged them out of before he handed the ball off to the only other ball-carrier the Patriots can trust right now.
Soon enough, other weapons should return around Stevenson, from Henry to A.J. Brown, Romeo Doubs and others. Until then, they have Maye, who needs so little to power winning on his own and entered his postgame press conference with a request of the attending media.
“Let’s keep it short and sweet,” he told reporters.
After that performance, who could possibly refuse him?