Drake Maye, fresh off a Super Bowl run and a second-place MVP finish in his rookie year, is already getting stifled by opposing defenses, and our Seattle Seahawks just showed the whole league how to do it. After seeing what Maye was capable of during his breakout season, teams are adjusting, and the blueprint that’s emerging to slow him down feels all too familiar for an Emerald City fan.
Defenses Are Sticking It To Maye, Thanks to Seattle’s Lead
Offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels knows it’s a “natural progression in this league” for defenses to respond to a player like Maye after a huge year. They’ve found a way to take away Maye’s special ability to make plays down the field. The numbers don’t lie: in the Patriots’ last five matchups against top defenses, including against our Seahawks twice, Denver, Houston, and Los Angeles, Maye has faced two-high safeties just over 50% of the time. Our Hawks, in the season opener, really dug in, running those split-safety looks at a massive 57% clip! They basically dared Maye to throw underneath, and it paid off big time.
Patience is a Virtue (That Maye Lost) and Running Is Key
The result of this defensive strategy is forcing Maye to play a “boring brand of football,” living in the underneath area of the field. He did exactly that to start Week 1 against our guys, building a 10-0 lead. But then, Maye admitted he lost his patience, firing three interceptions all downfield. Yikes. McDaniels made it clear that defenses won’t change if you don’t make them, saying, “If you don’t do that, there’s really no need to expect them to change wildly.” He noted that one of the best ways to force a defense to bring that second safety down into the box is with a successful running game. The problem? New England’s rushing attack has struggled dating back to last season, and that trend slammed right into our Seahawks in Week 1. The Patriots’ backs finished with a pathetic 62 yards on 24 carries against us, ranking last in the NFL in rush EPA.
McDaniels talks about “execution and toughness” for the running game, but if they can’t force defenses to stack the box, teams will keep following our Seahawks’ lead. Expect every team on the Patriots’ schedule to have our Week 1 tape on repeat, knowing exactly how to make Maye frustrated and ineffective.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Pats Pulpit.
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