Historic Low for Patriots as Drake Maye Breaks Unwanted Record During Super Bowl Loss

Drake Maye's first Super Bowl appearance ended in a bad defeat, took 6 sacks and had 3 turnovers.

Historic Low for Patriots as Drake Maye Breaks Unwanted Record During Super Bowl Loss

Drake Maye (Image via IMAGO)

In Short
  • Drake Maye recorded a Total QBR of 16, the worst for a quarterback in a Super Bowl since 2001.
  • He was sacked 6 times and pressured 19 times during the game against the Seahawks.
  • Rookie left tackle Will Campbell allowed the most pressures in a single postseason, with 29 total.

Drake Maye took a beating in the Patriots’ Super Bowl LX loss on Sunday. The Seahawks defense put Maye in a chokehold the entire game. It took the Patriots’ offense deep into the fourth quarter to finally score some points. But until then, it was too little, too late. Maye had begun making mistakes.

Seattle blitzed Maye 7 times and pressured him 6 times on the drop-backs. In total, he was pressured 19 times, resulting in 10 wayward passes and three turnovers.

Maye threw two interceptions and almost a third, but the Seattle defender couldn’t hold on to it. Seattle’s Devon Witherspoon made 4 total tackles and one sack. He also notched a strip sack that Uchenna Nwosu turned into a defensive touchdown.

According to ESPN’s Mike Reiss, the Seahawks sacked Maye 6 times, the most of his career in a postseason game. In total, he was brought down 21 times in four playoff appearances. With a quarterback rating of 16 and just 1.13 points per drive, it was officially the worst showing by a quarterback in the Super Bowl since 2001.

Drake Maye shouldn’t be viewed as the fall guy for the Patriots’ Super Bowl misery

It wouldn’t be fair to put all the blame on Maye for the Patriots’ loss. A good share of the responsibility falls on those tasked with protecting him. Quarterbacks can make deep throws and maintain a 70% completion rate only if the offensive line fends off the opposing defense. It didn’t happen in the Super Bowl.

Historic Low for Patriots as Drake Maye Breaks Unwanted Record During Super Bowl Loss
Drake Maye (Image via IMAGO)

The Seahawks found a weak link in the Patriots’ O-line and exploited it on nearly every play. Will Campbell, the rookie left tackle, failed to contain the blitz all game. According to Pro Football Focus, Campbell allowed 1 sack, 1 hit on the quarterback, 8 pressures, 6 hurries, and gave away 1 false start penalty. The entire left side allowed a whopping 19 total pressures.

Underdog noted that Campbell had given up 29 pressures throughout the entire playoffs, the most ever recorded in a single postseason in Next Gen Stats history.

Seahawks defensive tackle Byron Murphy revealed Mike Macdonald‘s game plan for keeping Maye quiet.

We knew their [the Patriots’] offensive line couldn’t hold up against our rush. We knew he [Drake] liked to hold onto the ball a bit. We also knew where he liked to step up and escape. We tried to take that way and to make it very hard for him.

Murphy said (H/T: ESPN)

That said, it was only Maye’s second year in football. He’s only 23 and has plenty of time to grow as a player. Even a staunch critic like Cam Newton changed his previous stance after seeing Maye’s performance at Levi’s Stadium.

Things will only get harder from here on out. The Patriots might end up with the sixth or seventh toughest schedule in 2026, which is the exact opposite of what they had last season. There’s bound to be changes in the offseason, but some of the core group of players will remain the same. So, the signs are encouraging for New England fans.

Also Read: