Rich Storry-Imagn Images
Nov 2, 2026 8:00 PM
Another three touchdown performance by Drake Maye was the catalyst in the New England Patriots’ 10-point second half comeback win over the Miami Dolphins. We examine each of Maye’s scores on this week’s All-22 Review.
Another week of the All-22 Review, and another week where Drake Maye’s three-plus touchdowns lifted the New England Patriots (5-3) to victory.
After a spooky start against the Miami Dolphins (1-6) at Hard Rock Stadium pitted New England with a 10-point halftime deficit, Maye took matters into his own hands — throwing two touchdown passes and rushing for another on a 21-0 Patriots’ run over the span of 11:44 seconds of game time. The offensive outburst was all the visitors needed to overcome a reeling Miami squad, and continued a historic pace for New England’s third-year signal caller.
Today, we take a closer look at Maye’s three touchdowns against the Dolphins:
989
Game Situation: NE 3, MIA 13; 9:23 - 3rd; 2nd & 2 at MIA 43
Maye’s first touchdown of the day came on a 43-yard downfield shot to Kyle Williams in the third quarter, and featured several wrinkles from a play-calling and execution standpoint.
The play-call is a variation of “989” — a staple vertical concept of the Air Coryell system that is the foundation of offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels’ scheme. The two outside receivers — Efton Chism III and DeMario Douglas, after a pre-snap motion, run vertical — or “9” — routes up the sideline to stress the deep zone defenders responsible for those areas of the field. Williams, aligned in the slot after the motion by Douglas, runs a deep post — or “8” — route over the middle of the field.
Against the Dolphins’ Cover 3, both Douglas and Chism’s vertical routes break-off short to hold the outside deep-third defenders in shallower coverage and give Williams a one-on-one matchup with the middle-field safety, rookie Michael Taaffe. Williams’ long-range speed and an accurate pass were all that was needed to execute, and the Patriots checked both boxes.
Maye showed great pocket awareness on the play, identifying the oncoming pressure by defensive tackle Jordan Phillips and edge rusher Malik Herring, stepping up and buying himself the extra time needed to make the throw.
A great pitch and catch to pull New England within three.
Shake & Bake
Game Situation: NE 10, MIA 13; 0:59 - 3rd; 3rd & Goal at MIA 2
Very seldom have the Patriots used Maye’s legs on designed runs in 2026, but the low red zone is always an effective place to do so.
On third and goal with a chance to take the lead late in the fourth quarter, McDaniels dialed up a “speed option” play for Maye — a concept that is much more frequently run in college, but works well within the structure of New England’s red zone offense here.
By formation, the Patriots signal that the run would be likely to stress the short-side of the field. With Caleb Lomu in the game as a tackle-eligible to the left of Will Campbell, Eli Raridon aligned on his hip, Chism flanking Raridon in a condensed-split, and Rhamondre Stevenson offset to Maye’s left in the backfield, all pre-snap indications would tell the defense to follow the numbers. Only three New England players are aligned to the right of the center, and Miami responds accordingly, shifting heavy numbers to the left in an attempt to match.
On the snap, Stevenson cuts hard to the right, and the Patriots’ offensive line follows suit. Matt Pryor and Morgan Moses combination block edge rusher Josh Uche before Moses climbs to the second-level to wall off linebacker Jacob Rodriguez, giving Pryor the leverage to hold his block on Uche and leaving Willie Gay Jr. as the unblocked “read” defender. Gay crashes down into the backfield, and Maye fakes a pitch to Stevenson to force the linebacker to commit to the running back. That opens enough of a lane for Maye to plant his foot in the ground and “knife” vertically upfield for the score.
The perfect time for a play-call of this nature, and even better execution by Maye and the offensive line to punch in the go-ahead score.
Pop Pops
Game Situation: NE 17, MIA 13; 12:39 - 4th; 2nd & 5 at MIA 48
New England’s first two scores were play-call driven. Their put-away touchdown at the beginning of the fourth quarter was made possible by great individual performances.
Two plays after Kevin Byard III snagged his first interception as a Patriot, the New England offense decided to take another shot — working a two-man route concept off of a play-action boot out to Maye’s right. The Dolphins broke a heavy tendency on this play, and paid dearly for it. Miami ran 96.3% of their plays in zone coverage during the game (per SūmerSports), but called a Cover 1 blitz on this snap, bringing rookie cornerback Chris Johnson into the rush off the left edge. The Patriots faked a pitch left to Stevenson and Maye exited the pocket to his right, where he was quickly met by edge defender Chop Robinson, who didn’t bite on the fake.
Raridon’s pre-snap motion down the line of scrimmage put him in position to ruin the angle for Robinson, and the inside angle he was forced to take gave Maye the leverage needed to gain a step and continue extending the play. On the back-end, Douglas ate up all of the cushion cornerback JuJu Brents gave him pre-snap, selling a deep vertical route that forced the corner to turn his hips once the receiver got even with him. At that moment, Douglas broke off the route and presented a wide-open target for Maye, who layered the throw to the sideline for the connection.
With over five yards of separation, Douglas turned back inside, cut upfield, and won the footrace to the end zone — outpacing Brents and safety Dante Trader Jr. to convert the play into an explosive touchdown.
Maye’s ability to extend was prevalent here, but Douglas’ route-running, vision, and athleticism were what turned this one into a score. The connection between the two has continued to grow on a weekly basis, and this play illustrated that on a grander scale.
Looking Ahead
In the win over Miami, Maye completed 16-of-20 passes with 204 total yards, two passing touchdowns, one rushing touchdown, a passer rating of 141.5 and an EPA/dropback of +0.42, including a 9-of-10, 146-yard, three total touchdown second-half showing with a passer rating of 158.3 and an EPA/pass of +0.93. His second half surge saw Maye extend his streak of consecutive games with at least three total touchdowns to five, joining Tom Brady in 2007 as the only quarterbacks in franchise history to hit that mark. Both of Maye’s touchdown passes were at least 40 yards, marking the first time since Brady in 2017 that a quarterback has thrown multiple 40-yard touchdown passes in a game for the Patriots. In doing so, Maye also extended his NFL-best mark of 14 touchdown passes of at least 30-yards since the beginning of the 2025 regular season.
What did you think of Maye’s performance in the Patriots’ win over the Dolphins on Sunday? Drop your thoughts in the comments below and join the conversation on Patriots Roundtable.
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