Drake Maye’s early-season stumble is already fading, and Mina Kimes put a number on why the Patriots quarterback looks so much more like himself again.
On Monday’s “NFL Live,” the ESPN analyst zeroed in on Maye’s work on throws of 15 yards or more after his sharp showing in New England’s Week 5 win over the Raiders. Her point was simple: the deep ball is back, and that changes everything for the Patriots’ offense.
“Drake Maye yesterday, on 15-yard plus throws, six-for-nine for 182 yards. To get that kind of stat line, a few things have to happen,” Kimes said.
“First and foremost, the protection. I thought whenever the running backs and tight ends stayed in to chip, I thought they did an excellent job.
“Caleb Lomu, the rookie tackle came in at one point. I thought he played really well,” said Kimes, noting New England’s protection remained strong even after left tackle Will Campbell exited the game with an injury.
“The receivers also making plays downfield, Kyle Williams emerging as a factor,” Kimes added.
“But also Drake Maye [looked] like he did last year, in so far as last year he was the most accurate deep-ball thrower in football, and that’s what he looked like,” she continued. “I mean some of those throws, the wheel-route to [Eli] Raridon, they might have been as close as you and I.
“That was insane,” Kimes added of the perfectly placed throw from Maye.
That kind of performance came after a rough first three weeks for Maye, when he looked out of sync and far from the quarterback who helped push New England to a Super Bowl berth. But the turnaround has come fast. The 2025 NFL MVP runner-up followed up a statement win in Buffalo against the Bills in Week 4 with a statement performance in the blowout of the Raiders at Gillette Stadium in Week 5.
Around the league, analysts who had jumped off the Maye bandwagon are back to praising him.
Kimes said the accuracy on those downfield throws is the clearest sign that Maye’s confidence is returning. And she also pointed out that New England is doing this without A.J. Brown, who remains out with a high-ankle sprain and could be back as soon as Sunday.
“Just the accuracy on some of those balls downfield. Talked about earlier in the season, wasn’t quite there on some of those throws,” Kimes said.
“Honestly the fact that A.J. Brown is rejoining this offense should be terrifying because the fact that they’re doing this on those downfield throws and tight-window balls without him is crazy.”
The Patriots host the Jets on Sunday at 1 p.m.
In Other News...
Josh McDaniels May Be Unlocking What Patriots Fans Wanted From Drake Maye
Drake Mayes best stretch as a pro arrived at just the right time for the Patriots, and it gave New England something it has been searching for since drafting him: a passing game that finally looks dangerous. In the Week 5 rout of the Raiders, Maye threw four touchdown passes in a 45-17 win, and the offense looked far more comfortable than it did earlier in the season.
The surge did not come out of nowhere. ESPN analyst Dan Orlovsky pointed to offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels for the adjustments helping Maye settle in, crediting the way the system has been reshaped around the quarterbacks strengths. For a Patriots team that has spent much of the start of the year trying to find its identity, the bigger question now is whether this version of the offense can hold up as defenses adjust back. [Read more 🡒]
Patriots May Have Found A New Weapon In Eli Raridon
Eli Raridon is starting to look like more than a rookie tight end trying to find his footing. In the Patriots win over the Raiders, he turned in the busiest receiving day of his young career, showing the kind of versatility New England hoped for when it brought him along as both a blocker and a pass-catching option. Even before that, Raridon had already flashed enough to matter, scoring a touchdown in his NFL debut and giving the offense a different look at a position that often has to do a little of everything.
Mike Vrabel has made it clear he sees the talent, and Raridons early progress has only added to the intrigue. He missed some time with a thigh injury, but he has still been on the field for a notable share of the offense and keeps finding ways to stay involved. For a Patriots team still sorting out where the next useful pieces come from, the question now is less whether Raridon can help and more how quickly that role can keep growing. [Read more 🡒]
Patriots Made A Statement But Two Problems Still Stand Out
The Patriots 45-17 win over the Raiders offered plenty to like, starting with a confident showing from Drake Maye and an offense that kept rolling despite injuries to key players. New England looked far more in control than it has in stretches this season, and the result felt like the kind of statement win a team can build on as the schedule tightens.
Still, the film left a couple of familiar concerns in view. The defense had trouble handling Brock Bowers in space, and the penalty count kept undercutting some of the momentum the Patriots generated. It was a convincing victory, but the kind that also reminds a coaching staff there is still cleanup work ahead before this group can call itself fully complete. [Read more 🡒]