No single player can claim responsibility for a winning streak, but Patriots quarterback Drake Maye deserves the bulk of the credit for stringing together three straight victories for New England – a feat the franchise hadn’t accomplished since 2022.
And in 2025, these three wins mean a lot more than they did in Bill Belichick’s final season.
The Patriots still can’t run the ball. They managed just 73 yards on the ground with an average of 2.4 yards per rush, but that stat was buoyed by Drake Maye’s 28 total yards, (the team leader), and 3.1 average yards per attempt. TreVeyon Henderson averaged 3 yards per rush and Rhamondre Stevenson averaged just 1.4 yards per attempt.
Gulp.
When taking a broad look at the season, that feeble ground game will be a major issue for Josh McDaniels. Everyone caught a glimpse of how dangerously close a game can get if the passing offense sputters a bit in the second half and there’s no threat on the ground – that’s the scenario that played out after halftime in the Super Dome Sunday.
Maye loaded up on big plays in the first half and made just enough in the second to keep New England ahead on the road. The Patriots defense allowed Spencer Rattler 129 passing yards in the first half, (concerning), and gave up 296 total net offensive yards on the day. They let wide receiver Chris Olave turn the clock back, but ultimately, big plays from Christian Elliss and Marcus Jones saved their behinds.
Speaking of, wide receiver Kayshon Boutte deserves a plethora of pun-free mentions for his banner day, and most of all for the 21-yard play he made on 3rd-and-11. He kept his feet in bounds to seal the deal and put the Patriots in victory formation.
Vrabel offered some quiet praise for Maye on that connection:
“Him knowing where he wants to go with it and that timing, putting it in a spot where KB can make a play.”
Maye finished the day with 261 passing yards and matched a career-high three touchdown passes. During this three-win streak, he’s averaged 245 passing yards per game and managed those big plays without a single turnover.
Who, outside of his blood relatives, expected so much from the kid, so soon?
The Patriots have now matched their win total from each of the last two seasons in the span of just six weeks. Vrabel’s culture looks stellar, Marcus Jones seems to have a massive play every game now, and the Patriots’ coaching staff is immaculate in their in-game management.
But come on.
Maye is the difference.
Josh McDaniels acknowledged his playmaking ability Thursday afternoon, though he downplayed the singular attention Maye tends to get.
“Players make plays. Sometimes the design of the offense either isn’t good enough on a certain play, and the player extends it, or the defense does something to stop us from doing what we’d like to do initially. Then the player makes a play. I think that happens a lot in football. It just gets talked about a lot more when it’s the quarterback,” he said.
Well, yes, because the quarterback wields influence over the game like no other individual player in sports. Don’t expect that impact to wane as the Patriots prepare to face the Tennessee Titans and Cleveland Browns in the coming weeks. Both teams will rely on rookie quarterbacks, while Maye is putting up Top-10 numbers.
The last three-game win streak in New England came with a quarterback controversy, against two Zack Wilson-led Jets teams, and against one Colts team quarterbacked by Sam Ehlinger. It was towards the end of dysfunctional 2022 season that was barreling towards another great Foxboro divorce.
This streak comes at the dawn of a new era, one that’s brimming with opportunity. There’s still plenty to sort out, but it’s safe – and exciting – to see the most important piece is firmly in place.