Drake Maye Unfazed by the Elements as Super Bowl Debut Looms
Drake Maye’s second NFL season has been anything but quiet. The Patriots’ young quarterback earned 23 first-place MVP votes and helped lead New England to the Super Bowl-but he’s still found himself under the microscope, especially after a rocky playoff stretch.
It started with a promising performance against the Chargers in his postseason debut, where Maye threw for 268 yards and showed flashes of the poise that got him to this stage. But then came the snow.
Two straight blizzard games-first against the Texans, then the Broncos-put the brakes on the Patriots’ aerial attack, and Maye’s numbers took a hit. The low point came in the AFC Championship Game, where he completed just ten passes for 86 yards.
That kind of stat line will raise eyebrows, no question. But inside the Patriots’ building, there’s no panic-and certainly no wavering in belief. If anything, the people closest to Maye are doubling down on what they’ve seen all year: a young quarterback with rare confidence and command, even when the conditions are anything but ideal.
Take quarterbacks coach Ashton Grant, for example. When asked about Maye’s mindset heading into Super Bowl Sunday against the Seahawks, Grant shared a moment from practice that says a lot about where Maye’s head is at.
“He made a comment to me at practice this week about the weather,” Grant said. “And it just made me laugh. He was like, ‘Ashton, I can put the ball wherever I want to in this weather.’”
That’s not bravado-it’s belief. And it’s coming from a player who’s already shown he can handle the mental side of the game at a high level.
Grant, a former standout receiver at Assumption College in Worcester, knows what it looks like when a quarterback has it. He saw it early in Maye.
“Just the comfortability of a 22-year-old kid at the time to get on the board and draw concepts that he liked,” Grant said. “He could visualize some of the things that Josh was talking about. I knew super early that he had the potential to be a difference maker.”
That ability to absorb the playbook, process the game, and translate it to the field-that’s what separates the good ones from the great ones. And Grant didn’t mince words when it came to what Maye brings to the table.
“I think that’s the difference with a lot of guys. I think my IQ’s pretty good, but I can’t do 20% of what Drake Maye can do,” he said. “I think that’s the blend of really good quarterbacks-being able to take the meeting room to the field, but actually go out there and execute it.”
So yes, the numbers from the AFC Championship weren’t pretty. And yes, the weather may again play a role on Super Bowl Sunday.
But Maye’s not blinking. He’s got the trust of his coaches, the belief of his teammates, and a mindset that’s built for moments like this.
If you’re looking at the stat sheet and wondering if the Patriots’ QB is ready for the big stage, just know this: the people who know him best aren’t worried. And neither is Drake Maye.