Bruised, battered and brilliant: Drake Maye removes ‘elephant in the room’

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Bruised, battered and brilliant: Drake Maye removes ‘elephant in the room’

Karen Guregian · MassLive

Mon, Dec 22, 2025 ·

4 min read

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BALTIMORE - Sitting alone at his locker following Sunday night’s pivotal Ravens win, Drake Maye had the look of someone who had taken a few blows in a fight.

He had the look of someone who was knocked down more than a few times, but came out of the fray telling anyone who inquired: “Yeah, but you should have seen the other guy.”

Maye had red welts above both elbows, as well as his torso, and his white game pants had stains from top to bottom.

They looked more green than white thanks to Maye being driven to the turf countless times during the game, or sliding to the ground after scrambling out of pressure situations.

After slipping the pants off, and handing them to assistant Patriots equipment manager Devin Charles-Hubbard, Maye told Hubbard he should just burn them since they were so stained.

Hubbard smiled and told Maye he wouldn’t do that.

Not after the performance the young quarterback had to help lead the Patriots to victory. Not after the significance of the win, and Maye’s part in it.

While Maye had already established himself as one of the best quarterbacks in the league during the year, he further cemented his star status.

After failing to bring the Patriots back against the Buffalo Bills the week before, and having some question his ability to lead a fourth-quarter comeback, Maye wasn’t going to keep that monkey - or ‘elephant in the room’ as he termed it - on his back very long.

Down 11 with 12:50 to play in the fourth quarter, Maye engineered two masterful scoring drives to pull out the victory, and help punch the Patriots ticket to the playoffs.

The 28-24 victory over the Ravens, who were fighting to keep their playoff hopes alive, just added even more substance to Maye’s magical 2025 season.

Having him produce this type of signature win, fueled by a stunning fourth quarter comeback, didn’t necessarily give his teammates more confidence in his abilities. It just validated what they already knew.

“Having him on our side, we know we have a chance,” tight end Hunter Henry said. “He’s a high-level player. A big-time player. We have the utmost confidence in him.”

That’s the definition of a “big-time” player.

The Patriots always feel like they have a chance in any game - and especially the bigger ones - thanks to having Maye under center.

That’s how the Chiefs feel with Patrick Mahomes . That’s how the Bills feel having Josh Allen .

Maye might not quite be in their league just yet, or at that level not having won any Super Bowls or playoff games, but he’s quickly getting there.

He has raised the level of his game, and made fixes and corrections every week to the point where he has not only launched the Patriots into the post-season, but has them believing they can overcome any obstacle.

That’s a powerful tool for any team to have.

Maye’s performance against the Ravens was even more compelling given he didn’t start off all that great. He threw a pick on a third-down play from the Ravens 13-yard line in the first quarter. He got strip-sacked, losing a fumble in Ravens territory in the second quarter.

He was constantly harassed and hurled to the ground by the Ravens menacing defense.

He was also operating short-handed, losing TreVeyon Henderson (head injury) before the half, Kayshon Boutte (head injury) and DeMario Douglas (hamstring) in the second half, and had a revolving door of right tackles with Morgan Moses missing parts of the game with a knee injury.

And still persevered.

Patriots coach Mike Vrabel called it a “gritty” performance.

“I mean he got hit . . . they pressured him ... and he just kept getting up and battling,” Vrabel said. “He didn’t flinch. I think it was important for all of us to have that game, the entire team.”

Maye authored his first 300-yard passing game, and needed every one of those yards to pull out the win, completing 31-of-34 passes for 380 yards with two touchdowns, and an interception.

Maye said it was another important game for him experience to see how he would rebound from the failed comeback effort the previous week against Buffalo. And, to rally when he didn’t start off well.

“(It was good) to experience times where I wasn’t probably seeing it great. I wasn’t making great throws, threw a couple in the dirt, and from there, just battling back and having the confidence in myself and the confidence in the guys around me,” he said. “The guys supported me all game. The sideline and the huddle felt like it never got down. There was still belief over here. I hope we continue that, and we’re going to need a game like this again down the road.”

Kyle Williams , who caught a 37-yard touchdown pass from Maye in the fourth quarter, said Maye was vigilant in the huddle, urging the players on and giving them confidence.

“He’s amazing. He’s a dog. He’s a leader. He’s always coming into the huddle with some encouraging words,” Williams said. “Just letting us know, reminding us of what we need to focus on, making sure we do our jobs.

“He’s a conductor at the end of the day. Whatever he says, we follow.”

None of the players were surprised by Maye’s exploits. And the fact Lamar Jackson only played one half due to a back injury in no way diminished the accomplishment.

“Drake was Drake,” said Lowe. “He never wavered, strayed off of who he is as a player no matter what the circumstances are ... all we had to do was give him the time he needed, and he would make a play. He’s been doing that for us all year.”

Well, with one exception. He had two chances to lead the Patriots to a comeback win the previous week against Buffalo, and couldn’t muster a first down.

Maye wasn’t about to let that happen again.

“It was kind of a wakeup call last week. We had a chance to win the game with a game-winning drive, and this week it was like, ‘Let’s not have that same feeling two weeks in a row,’'’ Maye said. ”It was kind of an elephant in the room going out there once the defense got the ball back. Like I said, just trust and belief. I like our chances when we’re in those scenarios. I like our chances.”

More important, so do his teammates.

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