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Tom Brady returned to Foxborough on Sunday, and he was not impressed by the performance of his beloved team’s franchise quarterback.
Calling the game at Gillette Stadium for FOX alongside Kevin Burkhardt, Brady watched the Green Bay Packers roll over the Patriots 45-27. After the game, in a conversation with Packers safety Evan Williams, Brady made his thoughts on Maye’s evening crystal clear.
“There was some deli meat given out by Drake Maye today,” Brady told Packers safety Evan Williams during his postgame interview.
Williams, who earned Brady’s LFG Player of the Game honor, played along without piling on. “I’m not gonna say that,” he replied, “but he was giving us some gifts for sure.”
Those gifts came early and often. Maye threw his first interception on the second play of the game, a deep ball intended for Mack Hollins. Two more followed in the second quarter.
Xavier McKinney grabbed the first and third. Williams snagged the one in between, a toe-tapping catch that kept Green Bay’s lead at 17-0. Two of the three picks turned into Packers touchdowns.
Brady made sure to credit the defense, too. “There were a few out there, and you made him pay,” he told Williams, referring to Maye’s “gifts.” Williams finished with five tackles and his third interception of the season.
Maye’s final line looked better than the game felt. He completed 21 of 38 passes for 299 yards and three touchdowns, but he was also sacked four times for 27 yards. Green Bay’s pass rush kept hands in his face all afternoon.
The Patriots were also thin at receiver. Hollins came back from injured reserve with a calf injury, but A.J. Brown (knee) and Romeo Doubs (shoulder, IR) were still out.
The turnover problem isn’t new. Maye has thrown 11 interceptions through nine games this season. Last year, he threw just eight across 17. Pro Football Network’s QB Impact Metric still rates him fairly well. Maye sits fourth with a grade of 83.7, behind Joe Burrow (90.0), Brock Purdy (88.7), and Trevor Lawrence (86.1).
His passing totals are solid: 2,282 yards, 18 touchdowns, and a 65.4% completion rate. He also posts a +6.7 completion percentage over expectation, second among that top group. The efficiency numbers are a different story. Maye’s 0.16 EPA per dropback is the lowest of the top four.
He has also taken 20 sacks, more than Burrow (15), Lawrence (13), and Purdy (8). On the ground, he has 219 yards and three touchdowns on 47 carries, but his rush EPA sits at -0.11.
In short, Maye produces volume and throws accurately, but the turnovers and pressure drag down his per-play value.
The Packers moved to 6-3 and now turn their attention to next Sunday’s matchup with the Minnesota Vikings. The Patriots, meanwhile, slipped to 5-4 and will try to rebound against a resurgent Detroit Lions defense in Munich, Germany.