Why Patriots' Drake Maye, Jerod Mayo want win over Bills instead of top draft pick

The 3-13 New England Patriots will "earn" the top pick of the 2025 NFL Draft if they lose this Sunday to a 13-3 Buffalo Bills side that is locked in as the No. 2 seed for the AFC playoffs and, thus, plans to rest starters at Gillette Stadium. 

Nevertheless, Patriots rookie quarterback Drake Maye insisted on Wednesday he wants to play against Buffalo even though he was evaluated for a concussion during last Saturday's blowout 40-7 loss to the Los Angeles Chargers. Maye previously entered the NFL's concussion protocol during New England's Week 8 win over the New York Jets on Oct. 27. 

"I'm preparing like I'm the starter," Maye explained, as shared by Mike Reiss of ESPN. "I'm looking forward to being out there. I'm ready to go out there and win and compete. In a close game, I want to be out there. Getting experiences in these close games, you can't replicate that in practice. I'm looking forward to getting more chances with these guys and end off on a good note."

While Maye has shown promise since becoming New England's starter in Week 6, one may have assumed that Patriots owner Robert Kraft and team president Jonathan Kraft could shut Maye down considering it's believed the Krafts could fire first-year head coach Jerod Mayo regardless of the outcome of the Buffalo game. However, Mayo suggested on Wednesday he has the final say regarding such decisions and will play his healthy starters in an attempt to close the season out with a victory. 

"I've never been a part of a team as a player or as a coach going into a game not wanting to win," Mayo said. "That's not going to change today. ...My message to the guys was we want to finish off the season strong. Try to build some momentum going into the offseason."

Maye has officially gone 2-9 as a starter so far, but one of those wins was the previously mentioned victory over the Jets that he didn't finish. In total, he's completed 66.8% of 337 passes for 2,276 yards with 15 touchdowns and 10 interceptions. He's also rushed for 421 yards and two scores on 54 carries. 

According to Pro Football Reference, Maye is ranked 17th in the NFL with a 59.0 adjusted QBR and 17th with a 46.2% passing success rate on the season. He has publicly backed Mayo to remain the club's head coach through this winter, but it remains to be seen if the 22-year-old will find himself working under a different staff this spring.