Drake Maye Not Having a 300-Yard Game is Becoming a Talking Point
Drake Maye has been the golden child of the NFL this season. Between the individual leap he’s taken and the overall success of the Patriots, Drake Maye has been one of the biggest stories in the league this year. As of December 8th, he has the second-shortest odds to win the MVP award in just his second season in the league. Via draftkings.com, his odds are currently set at +200. There is one statistical benchmark that he is missing, and it is starting to raise some eyebrows. He has not thrown for 300 yards to this point in his career. How has a guy who has a chance to win the MVP not reached that milestone?
Explanation
There are plenty of things you could point to that would explain why he hasn’t hit the 300-yard mark yet. You could point to the conservative offense that the Patriots stick to when they have a lead later in games. You could look at the rate of league-wide 300-yard games decreasing since the introduction of the new kick-off rules. It could also be explained away by Josh McDaniels simplifying his offense in his first year with the young quarterback. All of these things are true to some degree, but these factors are not exclusive to Drake Maye or the Patriots. We’re going to take a deeper dive into these factors to gain a clearer understanding.
The Kick-Off Rule Change
The current format of the kick-off was introduced at the beginning of the 2024 NFL season. The main changes were the touchbacks being spotted at the 30 yard-line (now the 35 in 2025), as opposed to the 25 in years past. Another big change was kicking teams starting at the opposing 40 yard-line and not being able to run down to cover kicks until the receiving team touches the ball or the ball touches the ground. Since the rule was introduced, offenses across the league are starting their drives from the 30 yard-line as opposed to the 25 in years past, according to CBSsports.com.
This is leading to more scoring, but with shorter drives. Meaning overall yardage per game decreases. In 2023, the last year of the old kick-off rule, there were 78 300-yard passing games through the first 13 weeks of the NFL season per The Football Database. Through week 13 of this season, there have been 46 300-yard passing games. That difference seems insignificant at first glance. However, the trends reflect a major decrease since the new rule has been implemented.
Maye Is a Victim of the Team’s Success
Of course, the most important thing is the win. Drake Maye has led the team to an 11-2 record, and the Patriots are still getting better week after week. However, being that the team is on a 10-game win streak, the team often finds itself in control of games. Josh McDaniels condenses the offense in these scenarios. When the Patriots have a lead in the second half, they are going to run the football.
You can look back to just a week ago, when the Patriots scored 30 points in the first half against the New York Giants. They had control of the game and bled the clock for the entire second half and only added a field goal to ultimately win the game 33-15.
Play Calling Tendencies
When you have a young quarterback on a team that has struggled in recent years, the learning curve to build winning habits takes time. The Patriots are still learning how to win football games. In that process, the last thing you want to do to a team that is still learning how to win is give the opposing offenses extra possessions via turnovers.
In their 13 games played, the Patriots have scored 210 points in the first halves of games and 141 in the second halves. That equates to a 69-point differential in the first half to the second half, including their two losses. Since the win streak began, the difference has been 178 first-half points to 113 second-half points. That is a 6.5 first-to-second half point difference per game throughout their 10-game winning streak.
Is It An Issue?
Drake Maye is jockeying for position in the MVP conversation with Matthew Stafford. Assuming they both stay healthy, it will likely remain a two-man race for the rest of the season. One of the biggest knocks against Maye winning is that his individual game stats are not eye-popping. While Maye has not yet had a 300-yard game, he also has not had a game of fewer than 200 yards. It will be difficult for Maye to take a decisive lead in the race for MVP without a standout performance.
Looking at this from a big-picture perspective, this is not an issue for Drake Maye or the Patriots. The Patriots are on a 10-game win streak, and they lead the AFC East. They are way ahead of schedule with a first-year with a new team head coach, a first-year offensive coordinator, and a 23-year-old second-year quarterback. It is safe to assume he will have a 300-yard game in the future. That is not what the team or its quarterback is focused on at this point in time.
Main Photo Credit: Syndication: The Tennessean
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