Drake Maye's rushing takes over AFC championship to make up for Patriots QB's struggles in passing game

Drake Maye made waves with his aerial prowess during his sophomore campaign, posting the fourth-most passing yards and third-most passing touchdowns during the regular season.

In the playoffs, though, the Patriots hurler has made magic happen with his legs. Maye found it difficult to hold onto the ball in New England's wild-card win over the Chargers. But when he did have the ball in his grasp, he was effective, tallying 66 rushing yards.

He added to his rushing exploits in the Pats' AFC championship game bout against the Broncos, racing beyond the Broncos' vaunted defense. His success on the ground proved especially useful given the blizzard-like conditions that fell upon the Empower Field at Mile High Stadium grass.

With that, here's what you need to know about Maye's rushing performance vs. Denver.

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Drake Maye rushing stats vs. Broncos

• Rush attempts: 10
• Rush yards: 65
• Rush TD: 1
• Yards/att: 6.5

Maye wasn't able to get into much of a rhythm as a passer, completing just 10 passes in the first three quarters of action.

He flourished when he tucked and run, however, slaloming beyond Denver's pass rush to bring the Patriots down the field.

Maye posted nearly as yards on the ground as he did in the air across the first three periods of action, recording rushes of 13, 16 and 28 yards. He capitalized on a short field after New England forced a fumble in the second quarter, dancing into the end zone from six yards out.

He put the game away with a race to the marker on third down.

All told, Maye's performance out of the backfield ranked as one of the best of his young career.

Drake Maye's best rushing games

Maye might not have the elusiveness of some of the league's best dual-threat QBs. But he's more than capable of making magic happen in the open field. Here's a look at his best rushing performances, ranked by rushing yards.

Patriots career playoff QB rushing leaders

Maye already has a case for the most mobile quarterback in Patriots postseason history. The eye test matches the depiction. So too do the numbers -- he has already surpassed Tom Brady's franchise record tally.