New England Patriots
“We just wanted to keep building momentum.”
After leading the Patriots to a third consecutive win, Drake Maye heeded the words of his coach.
As New England head coach Mike Vrabel told the team in the locker room following the 25-19 win over the Saints in New Orleans on Sunday, it’s important to celebrate even if there were mistakes made in the process.
“You’ve got to celebrate winning in this league, no matter how it is,” Maye told reporters. No matter how much we could’ve played better, how much we left on the plate, but the Saints are a good team. They have some good players, and they played hard. It was tough playing here at their place, so I’m just proud of the guys to come out of here with a win.”
Maye finished his day an efficient 18 of 26 for 261 yards passing with three touchdowns. He also led the Patriots with 28 yards rushing. With the ground game struggling, New England offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels dialed up Maye to make plays through the air on multiple occasions.
Asked what it meant to him to be the trusted to make throws in big moments, the 23-year-old kept it simple.
“It’s just about making good decisions,” he explained. “It’s just trying to prove it over and over again, be consistent in doing that and knowing when to be smart with the football.”
The Patriots’ were smart enough with the football to escape without having committed any turnovers. On a day when the game remained within one score, those small margins may have proven to be the difference between a win and a loss.
New England has now won three in a row, a streak that included a standout win against the division rival Bills a week ago.
Was this matchup with the Saints a chance to prove the win in Buffalo wasn’t a fluke?
“No, we just wanted to keep building momentum,” Maye replied. “I think that’s the biggest thing, kind of week to week. Don’t just show up kind of lingering on last week’s big win and let this one come beat you. I think that was huge to get a win here, and we’ll have to keep going and keep building.”
Maye seems unfazed by the team’s upward trajectory. When asked how he felt now that the Patriots had officially matched the team’s entire win total from a year ago, he was only interested in what come’s next.
“Just go get win No. 5. That’s my only thought,” said Maye. “I think last year’s in the past. Just try to keep building and hopefully we just keep showing up every week. Being a tough team to play on the road and winning at home is what we’re trying to build. So I think we’re on our way toward that.”
Sign up for Patriots updates🏈
Get breaking news and analysis delivered to your inbox during football season.
