How Do We View Drake Maye Now?

New England Patriots quarterback Drake Maye struggled mightily throughout Super Bowl LX, a 29-13 blowout loss to the Seattle Seahawks. He completed 27-of-43 passing attempts for 295 yards, two touchdowns, and two interceptions, including a pick-six. Maye was pretty consistently poor throughout the playoffs, and he'll be tasked with coming back strong in 2026.

Maye was under constant duress. The former North Carolina standout was sacked on six occasions and committed a third turnover through a strip sack. Maye appeared rattled, even on the rare occasions when he wasn't pressured; he was inaccurate and missed crucial opportunities in the passing game.

Maye was downright bad throughout the playoffs; the situation just finally reached crisis level versus an elite Seahawks defense. All in all, Maye completed just 58.3% of his attempts during the playoffs, committing more turnovers (8) than touchdowns scored (7). Sunday's loss to the Seahawks was the only playoff game in which he completed more than 60% of his passes, and he only crossed that mark due to garbage time.

Advanced stats really highlight how bad Maye was throughout the postseason. His total Expected Points Added (EPA) was -29.2. That's the worst mark in the NFL among quarterbacks who started at least three games in a single playoff since 2000, according to TruMedia.

Furthermore, Maye's EPA in the Super Bowl was -0.68. That's second-worst in modern Super Bowl history, trailing just Kerry Collins' -0.74 in Super Bowl XXXV (2001). It was a historically bad performance.

It's important not to draw long-term conclusions in small sample sizes. Maye, unfortunately, played his worst football when it mattered most, but he was outstanding throughout the regular season. The third overall selection in the 2024 NFL Draft took a massive step forward as a sophomore, throwing for 4,394 yards and 31 touchdowns, leading a Patriots team from 4-13 in 2024 to a Super Bowl appearance in 2025.

Maye finished second in MVP voting at NFL Honors to Matthew Stafford. It was the slimmest of margins, with Stafford receiving 24 first-place votes to Maye's 23. For whatever reason, he simply couldn't replicate that form in the playoffs, and it cost his team in the Super Bowl.

The Patriots should return to contention next season. Head coach Mike Vrabel immediately flipped the culture in New England and made the Patriots believe. Offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels, who is most responsible for Maye's development in 2025, remains present and there's no risk of him getting head coaching interest given his prior failures.

There's really no excuse for Maye to continue struggling in 2026. He simply has to settle down and recapture the accuracy and playmaking ability that made him a legitimate MVP candidate. Maye's playoff struggles were largely self-inflicted, and that's perhaps most concerning. Shoddy footwork, accuracy issues, poor mechanics, and bad decision-making took center stage.

Maye failed to meet expectations throughout the postseason. His struggles became most noticeable in Super Bowl LX because they finally led to a playoff loss for the Patriots. Maye should bounce back in 2026, but his lackluster form throughout the playoffs created enough doubt to warrant it being an early-season storyline to monitor in September.