When the New England Patriots selected North Carolina quarterback Drake Maye with the third pick in the 2024 NFL Draft, little did anyone know what was about to come. There were some people skeptical of the pick at the time.
As most young quarterbacks do, he faced some growing pains in his first season as a pro. The team around him was not very good and went 4-13. It led to Jerod Mayo being fired and Mike Vrabel being hired as the new head coach. Maye was also going to work under his second offensive coordinator, Josh McDaniels. In the end, both hires turned out to be gold.
Not only did Maye flourish under both Vrabel and McDaniels this year, but he is leading the Patriots to the Super Bowl in just his second professional season. Who saw that coming?
Drake Maye Makes North Carolina History With Patriots
On Sunday, Maye led New England to a 10-7 win over the Denver Broncos in the AFC Championship Game in the snow in the Mile High City. Was it a performance that is going to have people talking? No, unless it was negative talk by the haters, but it was good enough to win the AFC and punch the Patriots’ ticket to the Super Bowl in two weeks.
“We had some time, and we had our chances to score,” Maye said. “I think we’ve got to help our defense out more, but hey, it is what it is, and man, it’s awesome going to the Super Bowl, so I can’t complain.”
With the win, Maye becomes the first former UNC quarterback to lead his team to the Super Bowl. It should come as little surprise that Maye was the first to do it. What is a surprise is that it’s happening in just his second season.
In his three years at Chapel Hill, Maye threw for 8,018 yards, 63 touchdowns, and 16 interceptions. He finished 10th in Heisman voting in 2022 when he threw for 4,321 yards and 38 touchdowns.
Drake Maye Heads to Super Bowl Despite Rocky AFC Championship Game
Maye was just 10-for-21 for 86 yards against the Broncos on Sunday through the air, but his best work was done running the ball. He had 10 carries for 65 yards, which included a 6-yard touchdown run in the second quarter for the only New England touchdown in the game. His biggest run came on third down right after the two-minute warning when he picked up the game-clinching first down.
After the Tom Brady and Bill Belichick era in Foxborough, the Patriots are not supposed to be here right now. Ironically, Belichick is now the head coach of the Tar Heels. Is this the start of a new dynasty? Maye doesn’t care what happened before. This is a new era of New England Patriots football. However, he did change one narrative Brady and Belichick couldn’t: winning in Denver in the postseason.
“It’s a new team, it’s a new era,” Maye said. “I respect and appreciate what the Patriots dynasty did, and unfortunately, they didn’t come out with some wins here, but we changed that narrative and look forward to bringing our best football for (the Super Bowl).”
He is one win away from being the best team in the NFL in just his second season.
Former UNC Star Drake Maye Makes History in Patriots Win Over Broncos