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Oct 5, 2025; Orchard Park, New York, USA; New England Patriots quarterback Drake Maye (10) drops back to pass against the Buffalo Bills during the first half at Highmark Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark Konezny-Imagn Images Mark Konezny-Imagn Images

Drake Maye Impressed New Patriots Teammates Last Season

Originally posted on New England Patriots on SI
By Ethan Hurwitz | Last updated Mar 17, 2026 8:00 AM ET

Two of the New England Patriots' best wins from a year ago were under the bright, primetime lights. It also coincided with some of Drake Maye's best performances as a sophomore quarterback.

In an early October road matchup against the Buffalo Bills, Maye and the Patriots rattled off two second-half touchdowns and a game-winning drive to stamp their claim in the AFC East.

The 23-20 victory caught the eyes of then-Buffalo fullback Reggie Gilliam on the other sideline.

"That was a statement game for them," Gilliam told reporters last week at Gillette Stadium. "(Stefon) Diggs had a great game. Really, the entire offense was rolling like, wow, this team is legit. It's not just a one-hit wonder."

Gilliam signed a three-year deal with the Patriots to be their next fullback. He's set to replace Jack Westover next year and bring back a violent style of blocking to the team. Part of his game will be blocking for Maye, who eerily resembles the MVP quarterback Gilliam was teammates with for six seasons in Buffalo.

"Saw him for the first time and was like, 'Wow, he’s bigger than I expected.' I did not expect him to be that large,” Gilliam said. "He has a lot of the same qualities as Josh (Allen). I know he was in the MVP talks just like Josh was. I believe in him a ton and I’m excited to see what he can do."

Drake Maye Faced Off Against Dre'Mont Jones Twice In '25

Two weeks later, the Patriots took a trip to Nashville to face off against the 1-5 Tennessee Titans. On that Titans squad was Dre'Mont Jones in his first year with the team. It was one of Maye's prettiest efforts of the season (21-for-23, 222 yards, two touchdowns) and improved to 5-2.

Jones was impressed by Maye, who he'll now call his teammate. He was signed to a three-year deal with New England to be a premium pass rusher for them.

Following the trade deadline, and the Patriots on the cusp of the postseason, they suited up against Jones once again. The Baltimore Ravens — in the thick of the AFC Wild Card hunt — were up by double-digits against New England in the fourth quarter.

That's when Maye took over.

He dropped a dime to Kyle Williams to pull the score within a possession before leading the Patriots on a game-winning drive that was capped off by a Rhamondre Stevenson rushing touchdown.

"He was resilient," Jones told reporters. "To be honest, from what I remember, we were up like (11) in the fourth quarter and I had sacked him and thought he was going to get in his head, but he turned that thing around. He made a critical throw on I think it was fourth down to Diggs on the out route. I remember saying, 'That’s a hell of a throw,' because he just fit it in the window. It could have been picked off if our DB at the time was a little bit faster. It was great coverage, too."

The Patriots won the game, clinched a spot in the playoffs and made their mark on a wide-open NFL landscape. Maye won over his opponents in the process, who are now getting paid the big bucks from New England.

"That game really showed how he doesn’t get rattled in big moments like that because that was a big game," Jones said.

This article first appeared on New England Patriots on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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