New England Patriots quarterback Drake Maye is entering territory previously occupied by franchise legend Tom Brady.
With three touchdown passes during New England’s 26-19 victory over the New York Jets on Sunday, Oct. 18, Maye became the first Patriots quarterback since Brady in 2014 to throw at least three touchdown passes in three consecutive games.
The development gives Maye another significant achievement heading into Thursday Night Football against the Chicago Bears on Oct. 22.
Per the Patriots Communications team’s Oct. 18 announcement, Brady was the last New England quarterback to accomplish the feat, doing so during a four-game stretch in October and November 2014.
Maye now has a shot to equal Brady’s four-game run against Chicago, with the Patriots seeking their fourth consecutive victory.
Maye’s Latest Surge Puts Him in Rare Patriots Company
The numbers illustrate how dramatically Maye has turned things around following New England’s disappointing 35-6 loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars on Sept. 27.
Maye threw three touchdowns against the Buffalo Bills on Oct. 4, followed by four against the Las Vegas Raiders on Oct. 11.
He extended that run Sunday, completing 18 of 32 passes for 235 yards, three touchdowns and no interceptions against New York.
Across those three victories, Maye has accumulated 878 passing yards, 10 touchdown passes and only one interception, via his NFL.com game logs.
The historical comparison adds another dimension.
Brady’s 2014 streak featured four touchdown passes against Buffalo on Oct. 12, three against the Jets on Oct. 16, five against Chicago on Oct. 26 and four against Denver on Nov. 2.
That amounted to 16 touchdowns across four consecutive games, a benchmark Maye can now attempt to match in terms of consistency.
Meanwhile, Maye’s performance against the Jets offered further evidence of his improving command of the offense.
He connected with Romeo Doubs for a 42-yard touchdown before finding DeMario Douglas and Hunter Henry for scores.
The Patriots’ official game notes also revealed that Maye leads the NFL with 10 touchdown passes of at least 30 yards over the past two seasons.
Speaking after Sunday’s victory, Maye credited greater confidence in his reads and his communication with offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels.
“I feel like I’m seeing it well and trying to throw it to the open guy,” Maye said, per team’s postgame transcript.
Bears Pose a Chance to Extend Historic Streak
The opportunity to extend his run comes with complications.
New England lost multiple offensive linemen during Sunday’s victory, including Alijah Vera-Tucker, while Doubs exited with a shoulder injury.
Despite the reorganization, the Patriots didn’t surrender a sack to the Jets.
Head coach Mike Vrabel acknowledged the difficulties of preparing for another opponent with only three full days between games.
“We’ll just have to figure out who we have available and find 48 to put out there,” Vrabel said during his Oct. 18 postgame press conference.
Chicago, meanwhile, enters Thursday’s matchup with its own 4-2 record following a 31-23 victory over the Atlanta Falcons.
Bears quarterback Caleb Williams completed 30 of 36 passes for 305 yards and a touchdown in his return from a hamstring injury, via Reuters.
Chicago’s defense also allowed three touchdown passes to Falcons quarterback Michael Penix Jr., suggesting Maye may find openings to maintain his scoring momentum.
One intriguing historical connection is that Chicago was among the opponents Brady faced during his celebrated 2014 streak.
Twelve years later, Maye can match the four-game run by throwing at least three more touchdown passes against that same franchise.
Patriots’ Drake Maye Matches Tom Brady Feat Ahead of Bears TNF Game