Patriots' Drake Maye shows leadership via comments after win over Saints

Drake Maye played like a true franchise quarterback as he guided the New England Patriots to a 25-19 win at the New Orleans Saints that improved the Patriots to 4-2 on Sunday afternoon. 

Following the victory, Maye put his leadership on display while crediting others for the team's recent successes during a chat with Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated. 

Drake Maye credits "the guys around me" for Patriots' third straight win

"I think it’s the guys around me," Maye explained. "They are getting in the right spots, taking stuff from practice from the end of the week, when you get those huge 7-on-7 plays in third-and-long, they’re taking it to heart, they’re worried about the details. And the guys up front are doing a great job, giving me time. I really attribute it to that. Other than that, they have to keep some eyes on me making plays outside the pocket, so it makes [the defense] maybe a little quick to get out of their zones. And from there, it’s just trying to make a play and keep it alive and give our guys chances downfield." 

First-year Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel was among the members of the organization who made it known throughout the offseason that they wanted Maye to improve as a leader following his rookie campaign. Patriots cornerback Christian Gonzalez later suggested Maye embraced that challenge. 

The 23-year-old has since performed like a potential superstar under offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels. On Sunday, Maye completed 18-of-26 passes for 261 yards and three touchdowns at New Orleans' Caesars Superdome. 

What Drake Maye appreciates about Patriots coaches

"Coach Vrabel, he’s very positive with me — but he’s on me," Maye explained. "I think that’s the best thing about coach. He’s staying on me on the sideline, he’s pumping guys up and staying on me to be onto the next play. That’s the biggest thing — the next play, playing the next play, and he’s been great about helping me move on from plays I wish I had back; that’s been awesome. And Josh is a quarterback-friendly coordinator. He’s what you want in a coordinator. He knows what it’s like back there; he sees stuff before it happens. He understands the game really well. And he’s got my back. That’s what I appreciate most."

According to ESPN stats, Maye began Monday ranked fourth in the league among qualified players with a 112.5 passer rating, seventh with a 72.0 adjusted QBR, fifth with 1,522 passing yards and second with a 73.2 percent completion percentage on the season. Over the campaign's first six games, he tossed 10 touchdown passes and only two interceptions. Meanwhile, Maye has the Patriots in early playoff conversations after the club went 4-13 during his debut pro season. 

"I wouldn’t say surprised," Maye added about what New England has accomplished since its Week 1 loss to the Las Vegas Raiders back on Sept. 7. "We’ve got good players, good coaches. Our defense has played big for us, so that’s the biggest thing. I wouldn’t say surprised. Just excited."

Maye and the Patriots next play at the Tennessee Titans (1-5) on Oct. 19. As of Monday morning, ESPN BET had New England as a 7.5-point road favorite for that matchup.