The New England Patriots have watched quarterback Drake Maye turn a difficult start into an award-winning stretch, and the young passer is explaining what helped him get there.
During an appearance on “The Gronk & Jules Show,” Maye pointed to protecting the football, trusting his preparation and maintaining confidence in his teammates when asked about early-season adversity.
His comments come as New England announced Thursday, Nov. 5, that he earned AFC Offensive Player of the Month honors for October.
It’s Maye’s first monthly award and the Patriots’ first offensive selection since Tom Brady won for November 2017.
Drake Maye Credits Trust and Confidence for Patriots Turnaround
Maye’s explanation began with an acknowledgment of the mistakes that can undermine an offense.
“Turning over the football is not going to help win games, and realizing that the work you put in week in, week out, that’s going to come to light at some point,” Maye said in a clip shared by the show on X.
He also emphasized the importance of the players around him.
“Just trusting my teammates. The biggest thing is confidence in each other.”
That perspective carries weight given how sharply his production changed after September.
According to his game logs on the Patriots’ website, Maye threw one touchdown pass against six interceptions through New England’s first three games. The Patriots went 1-2 during that stretch, which ended with a 35-6 loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars on Sept. 27.
October brought a much different version of the offense.
Maye threw 12 touchdown passes against two interceptions across four games, helping New England win three straight before a loss at Chicago. That improvement gave the Patriots a chance to recover from their opening month and put Maye’s emphasis on ball security into measurable terms.
His comments also kept the focus on the group. Even while discussing his own response to adversity, Maye identified trust in his teammates as central to moving forward.
The award recognizes his individual production, but his explanation of the turnaround centered on preparation and shared confidence.
Drake Maye’s October Award Ends Long Patriots Drought
Maye completed 90 of 134 passes for 1,199 yards in October. According to the Patriots’ announcement, his 12 touchdown passes and 119.0 passer rating led the NFL for the month.
The run began with a 29-26 road victory over the Buffalo Bills on Oct. 4. Maye threw for 269 yards and three touchdowns while adding a team-high 54 rushing yards, earning AFC Offensive Player of the Week honors.
He followed that performance with four touchdown passes and a rushing score in a 45-17 victory over the Las Vegas Raiders.
Maye then threw three touchdown passes in a 26-19 win over the New York Jets. In the October finale against the Chicago Bears, he contributed two passing touchdowns and another on the ground.
That gave him at least three total touchdowns in each October game and 14 overall.
New England carried its recovery into November with a 24-19 victory over the Miami Dolphins, improving to 5-3. They have won four of their past five games after dropping two of their first three.
The Patriots next host the Green Bay Packers at Gillette Stadium on Sunday, Nov. 8.
Patriots’ Drake Maye Explains Turnaround Amid Major NFL Honor