The defending AFC champion New England Patriots, who looked completely lost through the first three weeks of the 2026 campaign averaging a pathetic 12.0 points per game, have pulled a complete 180. They are suddenly putting up a stunning 37.0 points per game over their last two matchups, sitting at 3-2 on the year, and the biggest reason for this shocking turnaround is one name: Drake Maye. It’s night-and-day stuff, and if you thought those early struggles meant they were done, think again.
Maye’s Unbelievable Flip-Switch: From Turnover Machine to TD King
Maye was at the absolute heart of New England’s early-season struggles. The dude was coughing up the ball like crazy and barely finding the end zone. But talk about a turnaround! Over his first three games, Maye had 7 turnovers and only 1 total touchdown. Yikes. Now, in the last two weeks? He has thrown 8 touchdowns and only 2 turnovers. That’s a shift that changes everything, and he is coming off his first career back-to-back games with three-plus passing touchdowns. We are talking about a guy who finished second in MVP voting last year, and he is looking like that player again.
And if you want to know how he is doing it, it is all about that deep ball. Last year, Maye was arguably the best deep-ball thrower in the entire NFL. But this season, from Week 1-3, that magic totally vanished. He was hitting a dismal 9-of-23 passing (39%) on throws of 15-plus air yards, with zero touchdowns and four interceptions. Dreadful. Fast forward to Weeks 4-5? He is 11-of-18 (61%) on those same throws, with three touchdowns and zero interceptions. That efficiency is right back where he was last regular season, when he completed 58% of those downfield passes. If he keeps this up, his current MVP odds at +1700 are looking mighty tasty for anyone brave enough to jump on them.
Even After Our Own Sam Darnold Game, They’re Still For Real
Look, we know the Patriots’ early schedule was a brutal one. They faced the hardest Week 1-4 strength of schedule of any team entering a season in the last 40 years. Honestly, emerging from that gauntlet at 2-2 was “pretty solid” on paper. But we still remember that game, don’t we? The source mentions it as a “red flag” for them. Our Seattle squad took them down, even after Sam Darnold went down on the opening drive. That game felt like a big win for us, showing their weaknesses.
But since then, they have picked up a key divisional win in Buffalo and are staring down a schedule that is about to soften up significantly. They have the New York Jets at home in Week 6, then head to Chicago to face the Bears in Week 7. This team is suddenly looking like they mean business again, and if Maye keeps slinging it like this, the entire AFC should be taking notice. Get ready, because these guys are not going away quietly.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by CBS Sports.
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