What we learned from Patriots-Titans: Drake Maye shows a “special” advantage

What we learned in “Patriots-Titans: Drake Maye flashes special” advantage originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston

NASHVILLE – Monday morning presents the Patriots with a reality that is sobering yet hopeful, disappointing yet encouraging.

After a 20:17 overtime loss to the Titans, it was clear that the Patriots had a 22-year-old quarterback in Drake Maye who could elevate and even carry an offense.

It was also clear that the Patriots needed him Be the offense to simply stay in the game against one of the worst teams in the NFL.

This makes it a 53-man squad. You are the Larry David meme.

Maye accounted for 95 percent of his team's 316 total yards in the game (206 through the air, 95 as a runner) and came through with a nearly 12-second regulation final play that featured some highlight-reel scrambling to extend the play. When he was finally dragged to the ground by the Titans' defenders, Maye found Rhamondre Stevenson for a five-yard score that sent the game into overtime.

There were three turnovers in the game for the rookie signal-caller, including an interception on a deep shot by Kayshon Boutte three plays into the extra frame to end the game. He also had a fumble on an Arden Key strip sack and an interception in the middle of the field when a changing Titans defensive look seemed to fool him.

“Made some bad decisions…It's got to get better,” Maye said. “Some decisions I made during the game had an impact on the outcome. I’ll take it upon myself.”

But the truth is that without Maye, the Patriots likely had little chance in this game. Their running backs combined to average 1.25 yards per carry, Maye was sacked four times and on defense the Patriots allowed 167 yards on 39 attempts.

“I have to go back and learn from it,” Maye said. “Especially me. I have to take advantage of the reps I get in the game and play better.”

Let's take a closer look at what we learned from this…

Mayes' teammates believe he is 'special'

Hunter Henry was dejected after his team's seventh loss of the season. But when asked about Maye, the nine-year veteran spoke in glowing terms.

“This guy is special, man,” he said. “Exactly the way he competes. The way he plays. The way he keeps fighting. I look forward to continuing to go out and play with him. He is very special, has a lot of talent and will continue to get better and learn from these situations and experiences. Proud of him. Proud of his fight.”

Kendrick Bourne saw Maye as a player who energized an offense that was one of the least productive in the league this season. And he's doing it not long after his 22nd birthday, having made just 26 starts at the collegiate level.

“He gives us a lot of growth potential,” Bourne said. “I think that’s the best thing about Drake. He does things that you don't really see when you're young. I'm very excited. I want to be better for him. I think everyone in our offensive room understands that we have something in them that can make everyone better. He has this aura. You just know he's going to do his thing. He's not afraid. This is someone you want to follow.”

Kayshon Boutte praised Maye's aggressiveness after turnovers and said that approach gave the rest of the offense confidence. Vom Godchaux called Maye “Josh Allen 2.0.” Christian Gonzalez simply said, “That’s Drake,” when asked about Maye’s ridiculously long final game of regulation.

They know they have a good player in the position that is the hardest to find good players. Now they need to do more to help him win the remaining winnable games.

Some of Jerod Mayo's decisions are worth reconsidering

Before he could be asked about it at his postgame press conference, Jerod Mayo said he felt kicking the extra point at the end of regulation was the right move for his team at this point.

He declined to discuss whether his decision was based on any fatigue his offense may have felt at the time. Maye, Stevenson, his receivers and his tackles Vederian Lowe and Demontrey Jacobs had all just finished a grueling play that lasted over 11 seconds.

The decision to take the extra point appears to have been an analytical one, although Mayo did not mention the numbers that played a role in his decision.

These numbers may have taken into account that the Titans' special teams and offense have struggled this season – New England has also struggled running the football – meaning the Patriots had a better chance of winning even if they had the coin toss in in extra time than trying to win the game with one move on the conversion attempt.

It's an interesting second guess for Mayo and his staff after this game. I would be curious to see if Mayo would do that, considering their defense's inability to stop the run lately and given the effectiveness of their offense in running the football near the goal line over the last few weeks (Stevenson has three touchdown runs inside the 10 in two games). Do things differently afterwards.

Other key questions for Mayo after the loss: Why would Layden Robinson be used at guard only to be benched before halftime so Mike Onwenu could keep up with the Titans' star defensive tackle Jeffery Simmons? And why choose the direction chosen in overtime after losing the coin toss (Maye said he threw into the wind on the game-winning interception)?

Maye won't stop running

Although Maye was forced to miss his team's win over the Jets in Week 8 due to a concussion, he made it clear with his play and his postgame commentary that he has no plans to back out of a fight anytime soon.

“I’m not going to change the player I am,” Maye said. “I have passed the protocol and am cleared. I will be a player. They're letting people out and there's a couple of main lanes up front, I'm going to make them pay for it. That’s my attitude.”

Maye took a few shots in the open field, opting not to slip and instead make contact, but he ran for six first downs in the game and averaged 11.9 yards per attempt.

“I thought he did well,” Mayo said when asked how Maye protected himself. “I thought he did well. I'm sure we'll watch the movie, say things and think about whether we should slide or not. But he’s healthy and I think that’s the most important thing.”

As Maye scrambled – on both runs and pass attempts – the Patriots accumulated 126 yards in 16 games (7.9 yards per game). Maye went 5-for-5 on scramble drill throws; He was sacked twice while trying to extend the play (including a strip sack that resulted in a Titans score), and the Patriots were warned for two holdings on plays where Maye started running.

The Patriots' running game is MIA

New England's inability to control the football with its own back remains. They averaged just 1.25 yards per carry at Tennessee and picked up just six yards on their first eight rushing attempts. Over the last four weeks, their backs have averaged 1.9 yards per carry.

“You have to be able to play football,” Mayo said. “Obviously that was disappointing…You never really want your quarterback to be the leading rusher.”

Their inability to create yards on their designed runs on early downs resulted in a high percentage of obvious pass situations, making life more difficult for Maye and the Patriots' entire pass protection unit.

According to NBC Sports Boston intrepid producer Steve Hamblin, the Patriots went for a yard or less on over half (16 of 28) of their first down plays. They averaged just 2.5 yards per play on first down, including two penalties. Her eight first-down running back runs averaged 1.5 yards per attempt.

This is the definition of a team digging itself into a hole offensively because of its inability to stay “on schedule” with productive first down plays.