Another round of MVP chants for New England Patriots quarterback Drake Maye doesn’t have head coach Mike Vrabel gushing.
Vrabel instead went the cerebral route when he discussed Maye’s performance after a 33-15 win over the New York Giants on Monday night. Maye had his way on 24-31 passing for 282 yards and two touchdowns. He also stayed turnover-free and took just three sacks for six yards lost, and Maye also rushed for 12 yards on six carries, including a long of eight yards.
“I think he’s able to keep his composure, keep his eyes downfield. I thought some of the best plays, I think, are just the extensions, the scramble for a first down, the scramble and to stay in bounds there late in the game,” Vrabel told reporters afterward. “Knowing the situation forces them to call a timeout.”
“And then not throwing an incompletion there at the end of the game and scramble unselfishly â he probably could have said, hey, I’m going to try to throw a touchdown, and go and slide and use the clock,” Vrabel added. “Those are the things that probably don’t show up on the stat sheet. I thought being accurate down field and being able to give Kayshon a real catchable ball there in the end zone was nice, too.”
Maye continued his MVP-performance pace, and he did so with two starting offensive linemen down. The Patriots have a 10-game winning streak as Maye is throwing for 3,412 yards and 23 touchdowns this season.
Drake Maye’s Backup Blockers Stepped Up
GettyDrake Maye and offensive lineman Garrett Bradbury celebrate a play on Monday night.
Maye had plenty of protection on his left side as backup offensive linemen Ben Brown and Vederian Lowe stepped up in place of injured starters.
“I think they handled it well. I mean, we had some positive plays, obviously, offensively. We need to be better in the red zone,” Vrabel said. “But I thought they did well, again, from first view.”
“There was a penalty that cost us a touchdown, so that’s tough. So a lot of things to build on and continue to improve and really focus on things that we’ll have to do a little bit better down the stretch,” Vrabel added. “But just proud of what the team has done week in, week out, whatever the challenge was, and whatever has been presented to us.”
Mike Vrabel Praises Patriots Staff’s Handling Of Injuries
New England dealt with significant injuries going into Week 13 from the loss of offensive tackle Will Campbell to defensive lineman Khyiris Tonga.
“Our staff, I’m always very thankful for the coaches that prepare our players; they’ve done a fantastic job,” Vrabel said. “Josh [McDaniels] and Zak [Kuhr] and the defensive staff, and Jeremy with the special teams, and helping spread the message that I try to have each and every week. But ultimately it’s on the players.”
“It will always be about the players and trying to give them a plan that they believe in and that they can go out there and execute,” Vrabel added. “Whether that’s different guys at different places, I’m proud of them, and I’m happy for them that they can have some success. And I think people can see who we have, and the next guy steps up and can play and produce.”
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