The New England Patriots are still a week away from battling the Seattle Seahawks in Super Bowl LX. But if you gave head coach Mike Vrabel some truth serum, he would probably say it’s a good thing for the status of Drake Maye.
Maye has been dealing with a shoulder injury suffered on a scramble in the third quarter of last week’s AFC Championship Game against the Denver Broncos. While he did not leave the game due to the injury, it may have altered his passing performance. Maye completed just 10-of-21 passes for 86 scoreless yards.
When talking to the media about his latest injury on Thursday, Maye suggested he is still not 100% but could use the extra week to his advantage and be ready for the Super Bowl.
“Yeah, I feel good – was able to do some of the jog through so feeling good,” Maye said via the CLNS Media Boston Sports Network. “Looking forward to being ready to go. This is the game you dream of playing in, so looking forward to getting out there and getting a chance to play in the Super Bowl.
“I’ll do whatever I can to, you know, feel 100%, and I’m sure I’ll get if not there as close as I can or 99% or do whatever I can to make sure I’m throwing.”
Patriots Bye Week Comes at Perfect Time for Drake Maye
As mentioned, Maye’s comments are a good news, bad news situation. Maye didn’t deny that he had a shoulder injury, and Vrabel did the same during an interview on WEEI in Boston earlier this week, noting that no player is 100% at this point of the season. While that may be the case, it would have been a problem if Maye had to play this week, as he may have been limited in his preparation or ineffective during the Super Bowl itself as he manages his shoulder injury.
Instead, as the Patriots have throughout this season, they got a little bit of luck from the football gods.
The Patriots aren’t going to practice as intensely as they would if they were preparing for a game on Sunday, giving a chance to manage Maye’s reps. That also gives Maye a chance to get some rest and have him feeling as good as possible going into the Super Bowl.
Of course, that would be a good thing for the Patriots. Maye is the frontrunner for the Most Valuable Player award in his second season, completing 72.0% of his passes for 4,394 yards, 31 touchdowns, and eight interceptions. He’s also shown a flair for big plays, leading the NFL with 8.9 yards per attempt and 9.46 air yards per attempt.
If Maye’s shoulder is in good shape, he should still have the ability to hunt for big plays. He may also still be able to use his legs, as he ran for 450 yards and four touchdowns during the regular season and 65 yards and a touchdown in the win over the Broncos.
The Patriots will gladly take that even if it takes him an extra week to get to 100%. With the schedule in front of them, that’s a possibility, and it could help New England claim its first Lombardi Trophy since 2018.