Patriots QB Drake Maye Transcript 10/20
PATRIOTS QUARTERBACK DRAKE MAYE
PRESS CONFERENCE
October 20, 2026
Q: You expressed support of A.J. Brown in the wake of his performance on Sunday. How did he look today, and what are you expecting from him Thursday night?
DM: It’s A.J. Brown. Last week is what it is. I wish I had some throws back and attempts I targeted his way, and I think it’s part of this league. You want to make a play so bad, you want to have plays back, and there are plays that I want back every week, and that’s part of it. It’s a short week, so we’ve got to get focused on Chicago. We know it’s a tough environment, and we’re playing a good team, a good defense, good offense, good all around. They’re well-coached, and we’ve got a tough challenge. I’m glad and happy with how we’ve kind of approached this short week so far, and we’ve got some more work to do to try to catch up and get on track.
Q: How do you feel like you guys are dealing with all of these injuries, particularly on the offensive side of the ball – offensive line, wide receiver? You guys have some guys who are in and out a lot.
DM: Yeah, I’ve been really impressed. I feel like it’s been every week somebody stepping up. On the flip side of it, it’s unfortunate seeing so many of our guys go down. Unfortunately, it’s longer injuries than just kind of get back in there and come back. But I think I’m impressed with how the coaches have been handling it, of kind of moving personnel around and fixing things on the sideline and adjusting. It’s been pretty cool to see and see why the coaches are out there – putting moving parts together and fitting them together. It’s been a next man up mentality. This is how Coach [Mike] Vrabel coaches the team, it’s how he always says it, and we believe it. We’ve got to have identity throughout, and it’s not just the top guys. I was just telling them leaving practice in the huddle, “Man, it could be you on Thursday night. You don’t know.” And I think he says, “Prepare as a starter,” in the team meeting a lot, and I think that holds weight. I think a lot of guys hold true to that, and when you see their opportunity, I think it shows and they shine.
Q: What was it like with Matt Pryor, Walter Rouse and Caleb Lomu as well, having to step in late in the game and also not giving up a sack? I think the entire game the O-line didn’t do that, given all the injuries.
DM: I think that may be one of the first times in my career, and mostly it’s on me for holding the football. Sometimes they get mad at me — I run out of bounds at a minus-1 or a no gain. Those guys are getting mad at me, which is warranted; I think it’s true. I think that last drive was really cool to see. It’s special when you talk about identity and they know we’re going to run it and try to bleed out the clock. I think we were a foot away from bleeding out the whole clock and ending the game down there. So, that was really cool to see new guys learning the playbook. They’ve been here for a couple weeks, and they’re getting a chance to step in. We were out of guys. So, they had to roll regardless, or we had to – who knows, play one of us out there at tackle next. So, it’s cool to see that, and we are really proud of those guys. They deserve a lot of love.
Q: Drake, you study defenses on a week-to-week basis, but just the times that you’ve come across the Bears’ offense, what do you see and like about their offense? Caleb’s [Williams] talented, don’t get me wrong, but just how they play.
DM: Yeah, a little crossover. They played the Jets, so I watched them a little bit. Obviously, just seeing them throughout the weeks when they put up 60 points in the first week. I think they’re explosive. They run the football at a really high number and rate. Caleb went down, and they’ve had some guys step in there, step up and play well. Obviously, the Eagles game with Case [Keenum], that was pretty cool. I got to know Case a little bit. It’s really cool to see Case do that, and I’m a big fan of his. Anytime you have Coach [Ben] Johnson, a North Carolina guy and a great offensive mind, they’re going to do some really great things, dating back to Detroit. Just seeing some of their tempo stuff, some of their play action and some of their wrinkle plays that are really cool to see and take the league by storm. So, it’s really cool. They’re really versatile. They can get a lot of different personnels, and they can exploit you. I really just didn’t really watch much this week, just focusing on the defense.
Q: Drake, you have 10 touchdowns and one pick over the last three games. What do you think the biggest difference for you is in that span compared to the first?
DM: Yeah, I think just getting back to trusting the guys around us, trusting myself, trusting what I’m seeing and just getting back to finding a groove early in the game. I kind of mentioned earlier in the season about wanting to make a play so bad and just letting the game come to you. I think that’s one of the biggest things I’ve tried to focus on. You want to make the right play instead of the big play. And I’ve tried to really own that, get us in the right plays, try to protect the football and realizing that was really the main thing. We were moving the ball and just finding ways to hurt ourselves. Speaking for myself, I couldn’t get out of my own way. Just trying to get back to that and knowing the guys that we have, the players that we have and the player that I am to get back out there and get things going.
Q: I know you’re not watching the Bears offense right now necessarily, but you’ve known Caleb a long time. I’m sure you’ve seen him play quite a bit. Do you ever watch him and say, “Hey, I’d love to try that,” or, “I’d love to borrow this from his game and try to implement it myself?”
DM: Yeah. Him in the pocket, I don’t know if I could do some of the things he can do. He’s special in the way he can move and kind of escape and evade pressure, and throwing on the run is pretty cool to watch. So, I don’t know if I’m that shifty in the pocket. He can do some cool things, and he’s got crazy arm talent, and it’s fun to watch. But no, I don’t know if I’m flexible enough to try some of those things. But I think the way he plays the game is cool, and I know he’s doing a great job. I know in Chicago, he’s got the city. Fun to watch.
Q: You’re playing another defense that wants to really live in man coverage. What are the points of emphasis in the week leading up to one of those kinds of defenses versus one that just wants to play a lot of zone against you?
DM: Yeah, we’ve got to win our matchups. We’ve got to block them up front, block the pressure, and they’re really well-coached on defense. They do some really good things of mixing up zone and man and finding ways to bring the heat and drop guys out, and I think they’re really just well-coached. They’ve got guys up front, got guys at all levels, got some young guys making plays in the back, and it’s a tough challenge. Any time you’re a man team, you’re going to want to have edges on your routes, try to be physical, and knowing that we’ve got guys that it’s going to come down to making plays, contested catches and coming up with the football on plays when the defender’s going to be close to you. And that’s when it comes down to me, ball placement, accuracy and being on time.
Q: There was a report out there that you were named the NFLPA voting rep for this team this year. First of all, is that true? And then secondly, why is something like that maybe important to you?
DM: Yeah, it is true. The guys voted me to be the rep, and I think it’s an honor. It’s an honor to represent this team, represent the Patriots and to represent the players and the players in this league. I’m going to try to gain some knowledge about how the league works and knowing that this position carries a lot of weight in this league. I don’t really have much else other than, like I said, to get some knowledge about it, try to represent this team. I know Coach Vrabel was the player rep here. Just trying to make sure that the coaches and players are doing all right.
Q: When it comes to them, they’re on third down, I think they’re the second-best third-down defense in the league. Just what do they do that makes it difficult against you?
DM: Yeah, first off, I think you’ve got to be good on first and second down. I think they’re really good at getting off the field. I think their offensive-defensive ratio of play number count is something that’s kind of absurd with how well the defense is getting off the field. And like I said, they try to get you in longer distances, trying to give you some blitz looks, trying to get you to take some chances in zone coverage with their eyes on you, and then they’ll mix in some man coverage to try to make it tough on you. So, they do a good job of variety and like I said, they’re well-coached. They’re going to be in the right spot, and they’re going to be on the football making plays. We’ve got a tough challenge.
Q: Just talking about making the right play as opposed to the big play, and obviously things are going really well the last three weeks. Is that something you still feel compelled to actively remind yourself of, or is it something you feel comfortable doing more reflexively now?
DM: I think once you get the snap, you go out there and play. More often than not, the right play could be the same thing as trying to make the big play. That’s kind of knowing that and trusting the guys up front that have been doing a great job in the pocket, being good with ball security, little things. Just keep on getting those guys in the huddle and firing them up to go out there, have some fun and realize what this game is. These weeks kind of roll on at this stage, and you’ve got a new opponent, and you kind of lose sight of how blessed we are to play this game and how fortunate and how fun we can make it. It’s really fun to get out there, score points and be in high-pressure situations. I think you’ve got to enjoy those moments because those are pretty cool, and you don’t get those at home when you guys are in the stands just watching us. I think you get it in the field when you’re out there in live action. It’s pretty cool.
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