The Patriots looked poised to lock up the AFC East in Week 15 after they took a 21-point lead into the half against the Buffalo Bills.

But they took their foot off the gas and allowed Josh Allen and the Bills to complete the comeback and keep Buffalo’s AFC East hopes alive.

While Drake Maye couldn’t lead New England to a fourth-quarter comeback win, the second-year quarterback did take some valuable lessons from the loss.

“Don’t let up. Just don’t lay off the gas,” Maye told NBC Sports’ and three-time Patriots champion Devin McCourty. “It’s a natural habit of getting comfortable when you have a 21-0 lead or 24-7 going into halftime, and you can’t let up against good teams. You can’t go out and do what we did in the second half. And me personally, missing throws and missing guys open.”

Maye will take the Week 15 lessons into Week 16 against the Baltimore Ravens with a chance to punch the Patriots’ ticket to the playoffs for the first time since 2021.

“It’s the NFL. You move on to next week and realize that, that’s kind of a wake-up call for us,” Maye said. “When we got the lead, we got to keep our foot on the pedal and keep going.”

The Patriots can still clinch the AFC East, but not until Week 17 at the earliest. A loss on Sunday night means Buffalo and New England would be tied in the standings.