The Patriots extended their win streak to 5 after routing the Cleveland Browns 32-13 at Gillette Stadium on Oct. 26. This win now puts the Patriots at 6-2 on the season, which is two games more than they won in each of the last 2 seasons. And they are in first place in the AFC East.
With this start, there is no denying that the Drake Maye and Mike Vrabel era is in full effect in Foxboro.
A lot of preseason predictions had the Patriots making improvements with Vrabel as head coach. I had them winning 8 to 9 games this season, but it’s looking like they can cruise right past those numbers with how easy the remaining schedule is.
This start has exceeded most people’s expectations. The week 1 loss to the Raiders was an ugly one, and fans were worried that things may not be going according to plan so early in the season.
But where things really changed for this team was the week 5 23-20 win against the Bills in Buffalo. Stefon Diggs made his return to Buffalo and put on a show. Diggs had 10 receptions for 146 yards and silenced the Bills Mafia. The Patriots haven’t looked back since with Drake Maye playing at an MVP caliber level.
Following the win over the Browns, Maye has 2,026 passing yards (4th in the NFL), 15 touchdowns (5th in the NFL), first in completion percentage amongst all quarterbacks (75.2%), and fourth in total quarterback rating (76.2). Maye and the Patriots offense putting up 32 points to the Browns wasn’t an easy task. The Browns defense is arguably the best defense in the NFL. Just look at Myles Garret. He broke the Browns franchise record for most sacks in a single game with 5. He added 6 tackles and a forced fumble as well.
It’s appeared so far this season that the combination of Drake Maye and offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels is clearly working. Bringing McDaniels back to New England in the offseason was a brilliant move. There is a lot to look forward to with this Patriots team, and with Drake Maye playing at this level, the future is bright in New England.
This is what every rebuilding team in the NFL dreams of. A quarterback that makes a huge year 2 jump, connecting nicely with his receivers and making big plays, and a coaching staff that is a perfect fit for the brand of football that they want to play. Nobody expected a start like this. It wouldn’t be ridiculous to start the playoff conversation.
