Drake Maye Dismantled the Bears’ Defense in Spite of Patriots’ Loss

The New England Patriots (4-3) may have fallen short of the Chicago Bears (5-2) on Thursday night, but the result came in spite of another herculean effort by Drake Maye.

It may not have been a flawless 60-minute performance from the third-year quarterback — namely a red zone interception in the second quarter — but overall, Maye continued his recent excellence as the driving force of a New England offense that became one dimensional early, and maintained that status throughout. 

By the game’s end, Maye accounted for 347 of the Patriots’ 380 total offensive yards himself, completing 24-of-31 passing attempts (77.4% completion percentage) with 321 yards, two touchdowns, one interception, two sacks, a passer rating of 117.8, and an EPA/play of +0.31 (per SūmerSports). He led the team in rushing yards (26) on four scrambles, and added one spectacular, outstretched rushing touchdown to his total.

Here’s a closer look at how Maye got it done against Chicago:

The Bears were who we thought they were entering Week 7: a man-coverage heavy defensive scheme that featured a wide variety of exotic blitz packages.

Entering their primetime bout, Chicago was tied for fourth in the NFL with 17 sacks and ranked second in the league with a 9.0% sack rate. They applied pressure on 40.2% of opposing dropbacks (13th, per SūmerSports) while blitzing at the fifth-highest rate (39.7%).

The Bears’ pass-rushing tendencies spelled trouble for a New England offensive line that fielded third-string replacements at both guard spots, with Walter Rouse (left guard) and Matt Pryor (right guard) assuming starting duties for the first time all season. 

Rather than succumbing to the constant duress he faced against a defensive front that brought additional rushers on 47.2% of his dropbacks and threatened to blitz with numbers at the line of scrimmage at an even higher rate, Maye stood tall in the pocket and put together one of his best career outings when under pressure.

Here’s how Maye performed against an unrelenting Chicago pass-rush (per PFF):

Maye’s showing against the Bears’ blitz and pressure scheme was inarguably the most impressive of his game on Thursday night. His pocket presence, navigation, and mobility were all major pluses — and revealed themselves at a much more consistent rate than ever before. 

When under pressure, Maye completed 10-of-11 passing attempts (90.9%) with 142 yards (12.9 yards per attempt), one touchdown, and a passer rating of 149.1 — a career-high mark under such circumstances. 

His collected nature under pressure was matched by an equally impressive showing against the blitz, where Maye completed 11-of-13 passing attempts (84.6%) with 180 yards (13.8 yards per attempt), two touchdowns, one interception, and a passer rating of 126.3.  

Chicago was unable to sack Maye without bringing additional rushers, and rarely had success when they did. On 36 dropbacks, Maye registered a sack rate of just 5.6% and a pressure-to-sack rate of 14.3%, gaining eight first downs while under pressure and 10 first downs when blitzed. His one big-time throw on the evening — a 30-yard touchdown pass to Eli Raridon in the third quarter — came on a six-man rush with pressure from edge rusher Noah Sewell. 

Maye’s excellence against the blitz was on full display, and extended across a variety of coverage shells that were paired with it.

As expected, the Bears paired their pressure packages up-front with a multiple scheme in coverage on the back-end. 

Aside from his one falter on a second quarter interception that halted a five-play, 63-yard drive, Maye was outstanding against all of them — taking what the defense gave him on each rep and making effective use of his legs when there was nothing available downfield.

Here’s how Maye held up against each coverage shell on Thursday night (per SūmerSports):

Entering Week 7, Chicago preferred to run a high percentage of man-coverage in the secondary (34.9%, fourth in the NFL) with a major in Cover 1. On 53 snaps, the Bears allowed just 19 completions on 44 passing attempts (43.2%) with 234 yards, two touchdowns, one interception, a passer rating of 65.9, and an EPA/play of -0.270. Their most frequent change-up, Cover 3, was far less efficient. On 50 snaps in Cover 3, Chicago allowed 33 completions on 45 passing attempts (73.3%) with 452 yards, two touchdowns, one interception, a passer rating of 110.6, and an EPA/play of +0.178. 

Against a mobile quarterback in Maye, the Bears opted to increase their use of zone coverages — keeping eyes on the passer in an attempt to limit the dangers of him as a scrambler. When third-level defenders finally did turn their backs on Maye, he made them pay.

All four of Maye’s scrambles came against man coverages, with two rushes, 15 yards, and an EPA/rush of +0.167 against Cover 1; one rush, seven yards, one touchdown, and an EPA/rush of +2.122 against red zone; and one rush, four yards, and an EPA/rush of -1.060 against Cover 0 (a third-down stop by linebacker Devin Bush). His four rushes, 26 yards, and one touchdown generated a total EPA/rush of +0.35.

When passing, Maye dissected the Bears’ zone coverages. Against zone, Maye totaled 22 completions on 26 attempts (84.6%) with 290 yards, two passing touchdowns, no interceptions, a passer rating of 138.8, and an EPA/play of +0.641. 

No matter the coverage, Maye found avenues to exploit the Chicago defense with sustained drives, key conversions, and consistent offensive output without much help around him.

In the Patriots' loss to the Bears, Maye accomplished several feats — and kept rolling through a streak of four games that places him amongst the NFL’s best in several categories. 

Thursday night was his fourth consecutive game with three-plus total touchdowns, and his second 300-plus yard passing performance of the season. His two touchdown passes were both 30-plus yards, marking the second time this season he’s thrown multiple 30-plus yard touchdown passes in the same game and extending his NFL-best mark of 12 such scores since the beginning of the 2025 season.

From Weeks 4-7, Maye has completed 90-of-134 passing attempts (67.2%) with 1,199 yards, 14 total touchdowns, two interceptions, a passer rating of 119.0, and an EPA/play of +0.41. His total touchdowns, passer rating, and EPA/play are all league-best marks during that span.

It may have taken Maye a few weeks to knock off the rust at the beginning of the 2026 regular season, but his return to form has quickly reasserted him into the conversation as the best at the position across the NFL. This time, he’s doing so without the cast of characters that helped lift the team to great heights last fall — and in large part, without significant contributions from his top option(s) along the boundary.

Maye has once again proven that he is a player who elevates those around him, rather than a quarterback who succeeds only when his supporting cast enables him to do so. And that list of quarterbacks is even slimmer.

Maye had to wear the Superman cape all evening while weathering the storm of a Chicago defense that threw the kitchen sink at him. He did so without the added benefit of balance via an established run game, paired with a lackadaisical showing from a New England defense that missed a season-high 17 tackles and allowed 405 total yards from the Bears’ offense. 

His effectiveness was independent of pressure, coverage, or personnel, highlighting his growth as a technical passer within the pocket who can still burn defenses with his legs when the situation calls for it. Maye’s patience and poise were the greatest strengths for the Patriots on Thursday night, and single-handedly kept them within striking distance on the scoreboard all game.

How do you think Maye performed in New England’s loss at Chicago on Thursday night? Drop your thoughts in the comments below and join the conversation on Patriots Roundtable.

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Recent Articles:

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