The New England Patriots may have caught a massive break with Drake Maye's shoulder.
As reported by ESPN NFL insider Mike Reiss, the second-year quarterback revealed he was feeling much better from the shoulder injury he suffered during New England's run to the Super Bowl. Maye reportedly 'liked the way it responded' at practice.
Of course, Maye's availability was the primary talking point and concern in Foxboro. However, it's not all great news for Mike Vrabel's team. While Maye is trending towards playing without limitations, star linebacker Robert Spillane is still dealing with an ankle injury.
Patriots Must Continue to Keep Tabs on Robert Spillane's Ankle
Spillane injured his ankle in the first quarter of the AFC Championship Game against the Denver Broncos, and he never returned to the field. Then, fans sounded the alarms when he was unable to practice at all last week.
When meeting with the media during his first Super Bowl availability session, the talented linebacker sounded optimistic about his chances of being the field on Feb. 8. That said, he still has some hurdles to clear.
“We’re recovering. We're getting better every day. We're on the right track where we need to be. And the goal is, obviously to go out there and be dominant," said Spillane, via Patriots insider Evan Lazar of Patriots.com.
Spillane has been instrumental for Mike Vrabel's defense this season, especially against the run. With an elusive tackle-breaker like Kenneth Walker III set to do plenty of heavy lifting for the Seattle Seahawks, his presence will be needed.
The former Las Vegas Raiders star finished his first season in Foxboro with a team-leading 97 tackles (48 solo), five passes defensed, four tackles for loss, two interceptions, and one forced fumble. His Pro Football Focus grade of 76.3 ranked 12th-best among 88 eligible linebackers.
Of course, getting Darke Maye back to full strength should be the main storyline and the team's No. 1 priority ahead of the biggest game of the season. That said, the Seahawks scored the third-most points per game in the regular season (28.4). As important as Maye is to New England's offense, a similar argument can be made regarding Spillane's impact on its defense.
Seahawks offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak runs a balanced offense that should keep the Patriots' defense honest and guessing for most of the game. Not having Spillane as an anchor of their defense, in addition to being one of New England's finest run stoppers, might be deadly in a game that could get out of hand pretty quickly if they allow Sam Darnold to get going.