New England Patriots
“I didn’t throw very well tonight. Need to be better. We did what we had to do.”
FOXBOROUGH — As he’s done all season long, Drake Maye deflected praise and directed it toward his teammates on Sunday after the Patriots’ first postseason win in nearly seven years.
His comments held even more weight after New England’s 16-3 victory over the Chargers — especially given the rock fight that played out for a majority of that contest.
“Wasn’t pretty, that’s for sure,” Maye said after the win. “But this defense was so fun to watch. Congrats to them. It was so fun to watch. They won the game for us. I didn’t throw very well tonight. Need to be better. We did what we had to do. That’s what it takes in the playoffs. Proud of this team.”
It wasn’t the sharpest showing on Sunday in Maye’s postseason debut.
While the 23-year-old QB’s rise as an MVP frontrunner this season has helped spark a 10-win turnaround in 2025, Maye and New England’s explosive offense took a backseat to the defense on Sunday.
A six-sack performance from New England’s big bodies up front was needed, as Maye and the Patriots struggled to get into a rhythm for most of Sunday’s game in Foxborough.
After completing a league-leading 72.0 percent of his throws to open the season, Maye was 17-for-29 on his passes (58.6 percent) on Sunday against a stingy Chargers defense — throwing for 268 yards and one touchdown in the win.
The second-year QB was also knocked for a pair of turnovers — a tipped pass that was intercepted in the first quarter and a fumble generated off a strip-sack from Chargers linebacker Odafe Oweh in the third quarter.
“We’ve got to take care of the football,” Mike Vrabel said of his quarterback’s play. “Thought he came through when we needed him. The tipped pass is something that was unfortunate. That turned into an interception. But the throw to Hunter I thought when we needed him was elite.”
Despite some struggles against Los Angeles’ tenacious pass defense, Maye started to settle in during the second half.
While most of Sunday’s game was a tight contest, Maye was able to capitalize coming out of halftime — completing 11-of-14 throws in the second half for 173 passing yards, one touchdown, and a 142.0 passer rating.
Maye’s best throw of the night came in crunch time, as he set his feet— after TreVeyon Henderson took out Daiyan Henley with a key blitz pick-up — and hit Hunter Henry for a 28-yard touchdown with 9:45 left on the clock, giving New England some breathing room.
“Usually got a flat [route] that kind of holds Derwin, but it really didn’t,” Maye said. “So, just trusting [Henry]. He just makes big catches, over and over. It was kind of a similar throw to the one to [Hooper], and I missed one to [Hooper], so I was just thinking, give him a chance to make a play. It’s a game of inches, and we came up on the right side of it.”
Maye also managed to move the chains with some regularity by relying on his legs, gaining 66 yards off of 10 rushes — headlined by a 37-yard scramble in the second quarter that gave Andy Borregales an opportunity to kick a 35-yard field goal just before halftime.
New England will need to limit its turnovers moving forward if this team wants to carry its turnaround season into early February.
But Maye was thankful that he and his teammates did enough to come away with a win against Los Angeles, with Maye set to celebrate with his family after the victory.
“My parents come to every game, so they’re always here, and my three brothers were here, so it was pretty cool, all three of them being here,” Maye said. “It’s just special, sharing these moments with them, and going home and, shoot, probably playing ping-pong until 1:30 or something. Having them in the house is cool. Those are three of my best friends.”
Maye and the Patriots now move on to the divisional round of the NFL playoffs, with New England set to host either the Steelers or Texans next Sunday, Jan. 18, at Gillette Stadium.
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