By ISABEL BALDWIN, US ASSISTANT SPORTS EDITOR
Published: | Updated:
Tom Brady may be at risk of being dethroned as the king of New England as Drake Maye spearheads a new dominating Patriots team.
The second-year quarterback has managed to fill the legend’s shoes so far this season, making a 5-2 start to lead the Patriots to the top of the AFC East.
The 23-year-old impressed once again on Sunday when New England sealed a dominant 31-13 win over the Tennessee Titans.
And the victory – the Patriots’ fourth straight – not only saw Maye match one of Brady’s records but also achieve something that not even the seven-time Super Bowl winner accomplished.
The Patriots announced following the game that Maye broke the franchise’s record for the highest completion percentage in a single game with a 91.3 completion percentage at Tennessee.
The previous record was held by Brady, who had an 88.5 completion percentage against the Jacksonville Jaguars on December 27, 2009.
Drake Maye (right) beat a New England Patriots record previously held by Tom Brady (left)
Maye impressed again on Sunday when New England sealed a 31-13 win over the Titans
Maye went 21-of-23 passing for 222 yards with a pair of touchdowns and had another 62 rushing yards on eight carries.
That tally made him the first quarterback in the Super Bowl era to complete 90 percent of his passes, throw for more than 200 yards and rush for more than 50 yards in a single game.
Maye also matched Brady with the most games in team history in a single season with at least 200 passing yards, a 135 passer rating and two passing TDs.
Maye has four so far this season, something Brady did during the 2007 season, and still has ten weeks remaining to surpass the future Hall of Famer.
He also joined another group of prestigious quarterbacks, including Patrick Mahomes and Dan Marino.
Maye became only the third player under the age of 24 with at least 200 yards passing and a passer rating of 100 or higher in six straight games in NFL history joining Mahomes (seven consecutive in 2018) and Pro Football Hall of Famer Marino (six in 1984).
Despite his feats, Maye still remained level-headed following the game. Instead of wildly celebrating, he lamented his handful of missed throws.
The 23-year-old still has a way to go to live up to Brady’s seven Super Bowl titles
‘I left some out there; I ended up running that I could have thrown. I tucked it a couple times when I shouldn’t have and I think maybe can get to the backside of the progression more,’ said Maye, via ESPN.
‘I’m trying to be careful with the football and trying to challenge it down the field and not just be a ‘Checkdown Charlie.’ I’m just trying to throw it to the guys that are open, and they’re making great plays.’
While he’s made a fast start to life in New England, the young signal caller, of course, has a long way to go before he can live up to the bar set by Brady.
The 48-year-old brought six Lombardi Trophies back to New England during his 20 seasons with the Patriots.
