Drake Maye and the Patriots Overcome Injuries and an 11 Point Deficit to the Ravens to Stay Perfect on the Road

Not pretty by any stretch of the imagination, and there's absolutely a slant where this win isn't ultimately as impressive as it is. At the end of the day, though, after everything that happened last week vs. Buffalo, there's something to be said about the resiliency of this Patriots team to overcome the injuries they've dealt with, both beforehand and in this game, and the hole they dug for themselves to remain perfect on the road.

A wide majority of what transpired from the very quick opening drive of the Ravens, through the failed fake punt and the ensuing Derrick Henry score, was a miserable viewing experience. Not just the injuries, but the largely brutal play calling by Josh McDaniels (again, shocker), and the lack of ability to get stops even after Lamar Jackson left this game, this had all the makings of a loss on paper.

Then the fourth quarter hit, Drake Maye turned into Superman, and with additional big help from K'Lavon Chaisson and some not-as-much help from the side and back judges on a Kayshon Boutte incompletion that was 1000 percent DPI, the rest was more or less history.

McDaniels abandons the Run Game....again

It ultimately didn't cost them, but I think it spoke volumes that McDaniels completely ditched the run game in the second half (Rhamondre Stevenson only had two carries prior to his touchdown run), and the Ravens did nothing but tee off on Maye for the bulk of his dropbacks. As admirable as Drake Maye was under duress, it was very reckless on McDaniels' part to put his offense and QB in that spot when there were multiple smaller injuries on the offensive line this game.

Yes, the run game wasn't superb by any stretch until the very end of the game, and losing TreVeyon Henderson absolutely played into this, but you have to keep the other side at least somewhat honest. Baltimore's pass rush is among the worst in the NFL, and they were finding ways to affect Maye in the pocket. What happens if/when it's Houston or Denver we're talking about, and McDaniels forces Maye and this offense into that kind of a spot? I'll let you draw your own conclusions.

What was the Intention of the Fake Punt?

Just to get this out of the way: this was an irredeemably bad time and place to dial up a fake punt under any circumstances. That's not what we're going over here, but rather what was, in theory, supposed to happen here.

The key guy here is Keondre Jackson, who's initially lined up at the 50-yard line. I went back to look at every single one of his punt team snaps this year, and there was ultimately no sort of quirk that I personally picked up on. Regardless, he was the target to pick on here. They clearly were expecting him to get out of Dodge, because this was supposed to be a Marte Mapu pass to Jack Westover, as you can see him looking in that direction. Unfortunately for the Patriots, Jackson isn't even remotely fooled, forcing Mapu into panic mode. Again, horrible all around, but that was the intent.

Drake Maye's Signature Performance

Sometimes, when things are quite literally falling apart around you, and it's winning time, it's going to be on you (yes!!! potentially you reading this) to come up and make plays. Drake Maye in the fourth quarter exemplified that to a T and then some. 12/14, 139 Yards, 1 TD, passer rating of 131.8, with a game-sealing first-down scramble to boot.

The only real fair critique of Drake Maye's career to this point had been the lack of fourth-quarter comebacks, and he's had a number of chances to do so since his rookie year. Did this look like a kid who was in any way, shape, or form rattled/fazed/etc, to you? Welp, you can check that, and the 300-yard game boxes off now. Taking hits to hit some throws over the middle, mentally overcoming a horrible no-call on a deep Kayshon Boutte interception, moving and reacting with poise and confidence. Hard to really overstate how money Maye was on that last drive, and even on the Kyle Williams TD prior to that.

Absolutely psychotic that he decided to launch this when Kyle Williams was step-for-step with Marlon Humphrey, but to get the placement on Williams' outside shoulder, not behind him with safety Alohi Gilman trailing and seemingly in good position to pick this off in any event. It's not a stretch to say the trust level Maye has in his rookie wideout out of Washington State is very high, and especially so given how little he's factored into things offensively this year. He’s kind of in an odd situation given how the roles currently are in this receiver room, but having him as a chunk play guy at a moment's notice is a great luxury to have, especially on nights where Stefon Diggs was a money as he was.

Chaisson Seals It

I can almost guarantee you that at the start of next year in the NFL, and potentially at his alma mater of LSU as well, that this play that K'Lavon Chaisson made to more or less win last night, will come up in the early stages with rookie, or freshman in the latter case, players when it comes to what's exepcted on the motor/effort front.

It wasn't exactly a game to write home about for Chaisson up to this point, but it's plays and effort like this that explain why he made this roster as a fringe bubble guy back in the spring, and has been a game-day captain on several occasions this year. That's exactly what you'd hope for on a play like that from anyone, really.

Thank You, John Harbaugh

I ended the preview of this game by saying I ultimately trusted Vrabel and his staff over John Harbaugh and his, and in a roundabout way, I was proven right. Rotation or not, Derrick Henry not getting a single touch after his second and final touchdown is legitimately inexcusable, especially since Lamar Jackson didn't play a snap in the second half. Mixing in Keaton Mitchell is more than fine, since he's a great complement to Henry, but to ditch him entirely was hilarious to see on the other side. So with that said, thank you.

Final Score: New England Patriots 28, Baltimore Ravens 24

Gaffney's Three Stars from Patriots-Ravens

1st Star: Drake Maye (31/44 for 380 Yards, 2 TDs, 1 INT, 1 Fumble, 10 Rushes for 25 Yards)

2nd Star: Stefon Diggs (9 Receptions on 10 Targets for 138 Yards)

3rd Star: K'Lavon Chaisson (3 Tackles, 2 Stops, 1 Pressure, 1 Forced Fumble)

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