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Sep 14, 2025; Miami Gardens, Florida, USA; New England Patriots quarterback Drake Maye (10) drops back against the Miami Dolphins during the first quarter at Hard Rock Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Sam Navarro-Imagn Images Sam Navarro-Imagn Images

Patriots Grades: Drake Maye Sparks Win Over Dolphins

Originally posted on New England Patriots on SI
By Mike D'Abate | Last updated Sep 17, 2025 9:00 AM ET

FOXBOROUGH, MA. — As the New England Patriots prepare to turn the page from their Week 2 victory over the Miami Dolphins, they must continue to take stock in their areas of strength, as well as their areas of improvement.

While the Pats had much to celebrate during their 33-27 win at Hard Rock Stadium, there were both moments of value and areas in need of improvement on which they may build a solid foundation for their upcoming Week 3 matchup against the Pittsburgh Steelers.

In that vein, here is a look at the Patriots offensive, defensive and special teams’ performances in Week 3, along with a grade for each positional group.

OFFENSE

QUARTERBACKS

Maye appeared to put the critics to rest on Sunday by completing 19-of-23 passes for 230 yards and two touchdowns in New England’s victory. He also ran for 31 yards with one rushing score. The former UNC standout improved his accuracy and his decision-making — particulary against the blitz and on designed bootlegs. He was credited with zero turnover-worthy plays, while completing 7-of-8 for 89 yards and one touchdown when blitzed, per NextGen Stats. Overall, the 23-year-old protected the football, showcased his ability to rush for the first down and made plays down the stretch to give his team the chance to earn the win. New England was able to secure the win thanks largely in part to Maye’s efforts.

Grade: A

RUNNING BACKS

Once again, veteran Rhamondre Stevenson led all running backs in both receptions and rushing yards. The Oklahoma product finished the day by running for 54 yards on 11 carries, while also catching five passes for 88 yards — including a career-high 55-yard deep shot from Maye in the third quarter. While rookie running back TreVeyon Henderson (three carries for 10 yards) may eventually become the Pats most explosive playmaker, Stevenson proved that he is still the top option at the position until further notice. Veteran back Antonio Gibson totaled 199 all-purpose yards, including a 90-yard, game-breaking kick return for a touchdown in the fourth-quarter.

Grade: B+

RECEIVERS

As he continues his ascent to the top of the Pats’ offensive hierarchy, receiver Kayshon Boutte caught one pass for a 16-yard touchdown. Despite aligning on only 31 snaps, former All-Pro Stefon Diggs led all receivers with four catches on five targets for 32 yards. Conversely, veteran Mack Hollins earned his first touchdown in a Patriots uniform — an eight-yard scoring strike from Maye in the first quarter. Perhaps the most surprising aspect of New England’s Week 2 receiver usage was that of DeMario Douglas. The Patriots reduced Douglas’ role to aligning on just 15 snaps on offense against Miami, catching just one pass for eight yards.

Grade: C+

TIGHT ENDS

New England’s tight ends were relatively quiet in Week 2, in both receiving and blocking. Team captain Hunter Henry caught only one pass for nine yards, while Austin Hooper finished with three catches for 38 yards. Given the improved play of the offensive line, the Pats will be looking to their tandem of tight-endage to contribute in run blocking. While there were no egregious errors in that department, both Henry and Hooper are likely to see some extra time on the practice fields this week to help improve their blocking.

Grade: C

OFFENSIVE LINE

For the first time in recen memory, the Pats offenisve line was able to provide both time and space for Maye, who was pressured on only 22.5 percent of his dropbacks. Save for surrendering three sacks, the Pats line showed marked improvement in pass protection. New England’s front five also turned in a solid performance when blocking for the run. New England’s backs earned an average of 4.1 yards per run against the Dolphins defensive line. Despite being whistled for one false-start penalty, rookie Will Campbell continues to evolve into a solid left tackle at the pro level. The fourth overall selection in April’s draft turned in a clean sheet in pass protection, which included 31 of his 60 snaps, while allowing zero pressures. Unfortunately, veteran right tackle Morgans Moses was whistled for three false-start penalties — a fact which the Patriots would prefer to stifle before it becomes a trend.

Grade: B

DEFENSE

DEFENSIVE LINE

Despite having its share of ups and downs, the Patriots defenisve line was the best overall unit on the preventive side of the ball. Defensive tackle Milton Williams aligned on 68 percent (39 snaps) of New England’s preventive plays, poetically saving the best for last agaisnt the Dolphins in Week 2. Williams finished the game with two sacks, including a nine-yard drop on fourth-down with 53 seconds to play. Williams not only earned his second career two-sack game, he also sealed the Patriots victory over Miami on Sunday. Overall, the toughness and tenacity fo the line allowed the Pats to sack Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovaiola five times, while holding their running game to only 61 rushing yards.

Grade: A-

LINEBACKERS

Linebacker Harold Landry continues to be a fixture in Vrabel’s defense, having compiled three total tackles, two quarterback hits and one sack. Landry’s sack puts him a 3.5 on the season, which is the most by any Patriots player in his first two games with the team. Despite logging only seven defensive snaps against Miami in Week 2, hybrid linebacker Marte Mapu maximized his time on the field, making a game-saving interception of Tagovaiola late in the fourth-quarter. Mapu’s ability to step up in crunch time may have saved the game for New England in Week 2. Still, New England’s linebackers must tighten up their tackling. Team captain Robert Spillane was credited with missing five tackles, while Christian Elliss missed three.

Grade: C+

CORNERBACKS

Cornerback Marcus Jones was the sole Patriots defender to align on all 57 snaps, finishing the day five total tackles and one tackle-for loss. With boundary corner Alex Austin — filling in for the injured Christian Gonzalez — having his struggles, New England provided Jones an increased workload to help neutralize the speedy Dolphins’ tandem of receivers Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle. Still, when the Pats attempted to play man coverage, both Hill and Waddle found room to get separation and make plays. Despite the near complete-game effort of Carlton Davis — who finished the game with four total tackles — the Pats clearly need Gonzalez back in the lineup as soon as possible.

Grade: C-

SAFETIES

New England’s safeties did not fare much better than their cornerback counterparts. Still, the tandem of Jaylinn Hawkins and Craig Woodson deserves credit for leading the team in total tackles [Hawkins had eight, while Woodson logged six] against a Dolphins’ offense which moved the ball quite effectively for thrrr quarters of football. Woodson experienced some rookie growing pains while having difficulty recognizing both reads and routes. Both he and Hawkins will need to play much tighter in Week 3 against the Steelers if they hope to keep Aaron Rodgers and company in check.

Grade: C

SPECIAL TEAMS

While the narrative surrounding their rookie kicker will garner the majority of the attention this week, New England’s third-phase must show improvement in several areas. Their protection unit surrendered a 74-yard punt return touchdown to Malik Washington, which could have sealed the Pats’ fate in the wrong direction. They also committed four penalties. On the positive side, punter Bryce Baringer averaged 68 yards-per-attempt, while Antonio Gibson ran a fourth-quarter kickoff back 90 yards for a touchdown.

Ultimately, Andres Borregales once again provided some cause for concern. Despite making his second-quarter 22-yard field goal attempt, New England’s sixth-round pick in April’s draft missed his first two extra point attempts. In spite of his 33-yard game-sealing field goal in the fourth quarter, his failure to find the kicking zone on the ensuing kickoff gave Miami ideal field position at the 40-yard line at the end of the game. New England clearly has some issues to monitor heading into Week 3.

Grade: C

FINAL ANALYSIS:

The Patriots not only earned their first victory under new head coach Mike Vrabel, but they also provided a glimpse into what could be an exciting future. Drake Maye, Rhamondre Stevenson and gave a solid performance, while Marte Mapu and Milton Williams provided late-game heroics that saved an inconsistent defensive effort. Still, surrendering 75 yards on 12 penalties proves that there is still much work to be done heading into Week 3. In the final analysis, the ups outweighed the downs against the Dolphins, allowing the Pats to justifiably enjoy their Week 2 win.