FOXBOROUGH, MA. — New England Patriots quarterback Drake Maye is enjoying the type of NFL season of which most of his peers may only dream. In addition to leading his team to an impressive 7-2 record at the unofficial half-way point of the schedule, Maye also ranks within the league’s top five full-time quarterbacks in total passing yards (2285,) touchdowns (17,) and completion percentage at 74.1 percent.

To say that the former North Carolina standout is having a “good year” may be something of an understatement.

Despite his achieving proficiency in nearly every aspect of his craft — a standard he has seemingly reached in just his second season as a pro — Maye is still absorbing the wrath and force of opposing defenders at an alarming rate. Through Week 9, Maye has been sacked 34 times — placing him second in that category behind only Tennessee Titans rookie Cam Ward. For some added, yet startling context, Maye was taken down by an opposing defender 34 times in total last season — one in which he played 13 games for New England as a rookie.

Though some may be quick to place the blame for such difficulties at the feet of an offensive line consisting of two rookies starting on the left side, it should be noted that Maye is ranked ninth among the most pressured passers in the NFL at 37.8 percent. In that vein, it would appear that other factors notably contribute to the starter’s troubles with evading sacks. In fact, Maye believes that the biggest slice of this situational “blame pie” should be reserved for himself.

“A lot of the sacks I have taken have been my fault, me holding the football,” Maye recently told reporters. “I think those guys [offensive line] have done a great job all year … I really want to credit them for what they’ve done in blitz pickup this season.”

Besides being noble, Maye is also speaking from fact. Thus far, only 13 of his sacks have been attributed to the fault of the individual offensive linemen in front of him. The remaining 21 have resulted from his maneuvering into opposing rushers or being either tackled or forced out before reaching the line of scrimmage on scrambles.

The seemingly simple solution would be to keep Maye more regimented by limiting his off-script maneuvers. In theory, the Pats quarterback would have additional time to survey the field and perhaps, rid himself of the ball before the defender can reach him.

Let Drake Maye, be “Drake Maye”

While reducing the amount of Maye’s allowable off-script plays might mitigate some of his takedowns, it would also prevent the third overall selection in the 2024 NFL draft from playing to his strengths outside the pocket — a point recently reiterated by offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels.

“This is kind of a complicated solution,” McDaniels told reporters. “I think that we’re trying to thread a fine line here of making those plays off-schedule which everyone loves… and doing something where we hang onto it a little bit longer, and perhaps invite more pressure.”

Though walking that “fine line” has yielded more success than failure for the Patriots this season, McDaniels is cognizant of protecting the physical and mental well-being of his quarterback. For Maye, that could require a more measured approach heading into the home stretch of the 2025 season. Yet, the Pats’ coaching staff appears willing to let Maye be himself as much as possible.

“I don’t think we want to over coach that and that it away from him,” McDaniels continued. “Hopefully we find the sweet spot.” “I think he’s very well aware of his role in pass protection in general…he’s never trying to do the wrong thing…I love the way he plays, we’re going to try and avoid negative situations the best we can.”

In true Patriots solidarity, Maye is seemingly prepared to work tirelessly to find the ideal balance between reason and adaptability — a task which begins in earnest as New England prepares for its Week 10 matchup against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

“Just like anything else, we try to work on in practice and try to simulate drills and be really good when we’re on our team periods, trying to avoid it,” Maye said. “From there, just don’t make it too big a deal because I think there are some times where we’re still making plays when I do try to extend plays. So, just know the point of the play, try to get that and execute it.”