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Drake Maye's performances against teams with winning records have left something to be desired.
The Patriots hurler is widely considered to be one of the sport's finest young arms. At the tender age of 24, Maye has already flirted with a Lombardi Trophy and MVP. He should see one of the largest contracts in league history when he and New England agree to terms on an extension next year.
And yet, there is one bit of kryptonite that has hit Maye hard in recent years. His toils against playoff-caliber sides.
Maye endured a poor showing in the Pats' 13-10 loss to the Seahawks on Wednesday. The nature of his display in that outing had some wondering just what can explain an unconvincing stretch for the North Carolina alum, who has seen his numbers fall off precipitously since the start of last year's postseason.
With that, here's what you need to know about Maye's dry spell, a poor stretch that appears to have stretched into the start of the 2026 season.
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Drake Maye stats in last 5 games
The Patriots are 3-2 in Maye's last five starts, a solid if unspectacular return. Maye has looked anything like the MVP-caliber talent he appeared to be throughout the 2025 regular season, however.
| Matchup | Comp. % | Passing Yards | Passing TDs | Interceptions | Passer Rating |
| @ Seahawks | 69.7 (23-33) | 178 | 1 | 3 | 54.9 |
| vs. Seahawks | 62.8 (27-43) | 295 | 2 | 2 | 79.1 |
| @ Broncos | 47.6 (10-21) | 86 | 0 | 0 | 58.8 |
| vs. Texans | 59.3 (16-27) | 179 | 3 | 1 | 100.7 |
| vs. Chargers | 58.6 (17-29) | 268 | 1 | 1 | 86.6 |
Week 1: Patriots at Seahawks (Sept. 9, 2026)
Maye started New England's season-opener against Seattle with aplomb, completing 10 of his first 12 passes and finding the end zone to put the Patriots out in front. As the game wore on, his performance grew more erratic. Maye tossed a trio of interceptions to scupper New England's hopes of claiming a win over the short-handed Seahawks. The last of those giveaways was especially hard to reckon with for those of a Patriots disposition — the ball fell harmlessly into Josh Jobe's hands after Maye underthrew an effort directed for Mack Hollins.
Super Bowl 60: Patriots vs. Seahawks (Feb. 8, 2026)
Maye was underwhelming in his Super Bowl debut, failing to really test Seattle's vaunted defense save for a pair of consolation scores in the fourth quarter. Uchenna Nwosu danced into the end zone with one of Maye's errant offerings, clinching Seattle's second Lombardi Trophy.
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AFC Championship: Patriots at Broncos (Jan. 25, 2026)
Maye produced precious little in the form of highlights in his clash against Jarrett Stidham and Denver. The Broncos' defense appeared to get the better of the then second-year passer, who posted career-low marks in completion percentage, passing yards and passer rating in a game her started.
The game was played in suboptimal throwing conditions; snow caked onto the field during the second half, undoubtedly limiting Maye's effectiveness. Still, Stidham produced more yards, a better passing percentage and a touchdown in the affair — a tell-tale sign that Maye struggled mightily.
AFC Divisional: Patriots vs. Texans (Jan. 18, 2026)
Maye was inefficient when the Patriots met Houston in the divisional round, completing just 59.2% of his pass attempts — way below the league-leading 72.0% figure he flaunted during the regular season.
He made sure to make his passes count, though; Maye produced a trio of touchdowns in the contest, an impressive feat given the Texans' defensive might.
There were caveats to Maye's success. The Patriots defense forced five turnovers, setting their offense up with short fields more times than one would expect in a playoff game. Still, Maye did what he had to do in the clash. Buoyed by his efforts — and the New England defense's masterpiece — the Pats surged to a two-score win.
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AFC Wild Card: Patriots vs. Chargers (Jan. 11, 2026)
Maye's first postseason outing was fairly unassuming. He produced an impressive number of yards for how few completions he recorded and found the end zone, but also tossed a interception. Ultimately, New England's win has less to do with him than it did the Pats' defense pitching a shutout.
Drake Maye stats in Week 1 loss to Seahawks
- Comp. rate: 69.7% (23-33)
- Pass yards: 178
- Pass TD: 1
- INT: 3
- Passer rating: 54.9
- Rush att.: 7
- Rush yards: 47
- Rush TD: 0
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Drake Maye record vs. teams with winning records
Maye boasts a 5-2 record against teams who finish the year above .500. Despite the impressive nature of his win mark, there are some concerns. He combined for 11 touchdowns and 11 interceptions against winning teams in 2025 (regular season and playoffs), a far cry from the performances he was authoring against less talented adversaries.
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Drake Maye career stats
Maye has emerged as one of football's finest talents since entering the league in 2024. That reputation is bore out in his stats, too.
| Wins-Losses | Comp. % | Passing yards | AVG | Pass TDs | INTs | Rating |
| 17-13 | 69.8% | 6,848 | 7.9 | 47 | 21 | 101.3 |
Drake Maye contract details
Maye is in the third year of the four-year, $36.64 million contract he signed with New England upon the franchise selecting him No. 3 overall in the 2024 NFL Draft. Assuming he keeps his performance high during the 2026 season, the 24-year-old gunslinger is in line to collect one of the largest quarterback contracts in NFL history.
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