All-22 Review: Drake Maye Continues Recent Excellence Despite Patriots’ Loss to Bears

Welcome back to the All-22 Review.

This week, we were treated to a thriller between the New England Patriots (4-3) and Chicago Bears (5-2) on Thursday Night Football — one that prominently featured excellence at the quarterback position for both sides. Chicago’s Caleb Williams ended on the winning side of that battle, but New England’s Drake Maye still managed to carry a hefty load, accounting for 347 of the Patriots’ 380 total yards gained and extending his streak of three-plus touchdown games to four.

It wasn’t all perfect from Maye, who threw a fatal red zone interception in the second quarter, but that one game-defining snap falls short of properly coloring his impact on the evening. Maye completed 24-of-31 passing attempts (77.4% completion percentage) with 321 yards, two touchdowns, and a passer rating of 117.8, and was New England’s leading rusher, adding four carries for 26 yards and a rushing touchdown to his totals.

Today, we take a closer look at just a few of the many highlights he had in an attempt to claw the Patriots back from an early 10-0 deficit that would ultimately be insurmountable in the 30-24 defeat:

Game Situation: NE 7, CHI 13; 6:58 - 2nd; 1st & 10 at NE 32

Maye’s 1st-and-10 connection with Efton Chism III exemplified his creative playmaking and knack for extending plays beyond their structure.

On this play, the Bears bring a five-man pressure, overloading the right side of the Patriots’ offensive line to scheme defensive back Cam Lewis into the backfield as a free rusher. Maye, initially looking left, pump fakes and quickly changes directions to begin rolling right. Chism breaks off his underneath route to follow the quarterback’s motion outside of the pocket, and Maye connects with him for a gain of 16 yards.

That sparked a six-play, 53-yard drive that would ultimately end with Maye’s interception, and New England’s lone, costly giveaway against Chicago.

Game Situation: NE 7, CHI 20; 0:03 - 2nd; 1st & 10 at CHI 48

Regaining possession with just 14 seconds remaining in the first half and facing a 13-point deficit, Maye went to work on a two-play, 66-yard touchdown drive as time expired.

His first completion — to A.J. Brown on a deep dig route over the middle of the field — positioned the Patriots at the Bears’ 48-yard-line with just three seconds left on the clock, but that’s all that was needed. In an attempt to rush Maye’s delivery and mitigate any chance at a Hail Mary attempt, Chicago brought six players in on their pass rush to end the second quarter, but left Rhamondre Stevenson in the open on a chip-and-release to the flat.

Stevenson turned upfield immediately, and received a key downfield block from DeMario Douglas — creating a cutback lane along the right hashmark that the running back followed all the way into the end zone with the game clock reading zeros. New England trimmed the opposition’s lead back down to six at the break.

Game Situation: NE 14, CHI 27; 8:20 - 3rd; 3rd & 7 at NE 37

Chicago began the second half with possession of the football, and immediately mounted a nine-play, 72-yard touchdown drive to extend their lead back to 13 points. Maye and the Patriots responded with their own nine-play, 80-yard touchdown drive to draw back within one possession.

On New England’s lone third down of the possession, Maye’s maneuverability took center stage once again. The Bears showed heavy pressure with eight players aligned near the line of scrimmage, but bailed four of them out into coverage, overloading the right side of the offensive line with three of the four rushers that actually joined the pass rush. 

Key blocks from Hunter Henry and Stevenson gave Maye a lane to extend to his right, where a releasing Henry made himself available for his quarterback with green grass and open space to navigate. Maye landed a signature stiff arm on rookie safety Dillon Thieneman and threw back across his body to Henry, who quickly turned upfield for a gain of 13 yards and secured the key conversion.

Game Situation: NE 14, CHI 27; 3:46 - 3rd; 1st & 15 at CHI 30

The Patriots capped-off their 80-yard touchdown drive on Maye’s 12th 30-plus yard touchdown pass since the start of the 2025 season — the most in the NFL during that span.

Chicago brought additional numbers in on the pass rush yet again — this time, a six-man rush that was equalled by a six-man pass protection unit for New England. The lone player in the tackle box who released into the passing concept was rookie tight end Eli Raridon, who beat linebacker Devin Bush on a deep fade route and reached the end zone for the second time in his career.

Maye’s constant success against the Bears’ blitz shined through on this play. He released the ball as soon as Raridon drew even with Bush on the route, absorbing a hit on his throwing arm that restricted his follow-through motion while still tossing an accurate pass against the one-on-one coverage. 

In the game, Maye was blitzed on 47.2% of his total dropbacks and completed 11-of-13 passing attempts with 180 yards, two touchdowns, one interception, and a passer rating of 126.3 against the blitz (per PFF). When under pressure, the Patriots’ signal caller completed 10-of-11 passes with 142 yards, one touchdown, no interceptions, and a passer rating of 149.1.

Maye’s pocket presence, mobility, and decision making have been the greatest strengths for a New England offense still searching for an identity on many fronts elsewhere. His consistent high-level of play over the past month has elevated those around him to great heights, even if his team did not come out on top of the scoreboard. Thursday’s result was a disappointing finish to an otherwise positive night for Maye, who now gets 10 days’ rest to reset and prepare for an AFC East matchup at the Miami Dolphins on November 1.

What did you think of Maye’s performance in the Patriots’ primetime loss against the Bears on Thursday night? Drop your thoughts in the comments below and join the conversation on Patriots Roundtable.

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