Drake Maye might be the face of the New England Patriots, but he’s far from the sole reason the Patriots are giving opponents something to worry about. Scrolling past Patriots articles and it’s all about Maye, as maybe it should be. He’s the quarterback, the leader, and arguably the most important piece of New England’s resurgence. But somewhere between the touchdown passes, highlight reels, and endless quarterback conversations, a pretty important storyline is getting overlooked.
It’s the growing collection of players surrounding Drake Maye that make this Patriots team so threatening. Maye collects the headlines, but several of his teammates are doing something equally important. They’re giving the Patriots an identity that doesn’t depend only on who’s throwing the football. Those players have another opportunity to remind everyone that football is still a team sport. From trick plays that leave defenses wondering what just happened, to interceptions that can completely change the momentum of a game, New England is developing something far more intimidating than a talented quarterback.
They’re becoming unpredictable. In the NFL, unpredictability can be a dangerous weapon.
Take the Patriots’ willingness to get creative offensively. When Rhamondre Stevenson and Drake Maye start exchanging the football on a double-pass play, it’s a reminder that New England isn’t afraid to reach into its bag of tricks. Defenses already have enough to worry about without having to question whether the next ordinary play is about to turn into something straight out of a backyard football game.
The creativity doesn’t stop when New England loses possession of the football. The defense has its own opportunities to steal the spotlight. Interceptions, pressure on opposing quarterbacks, and momentum-changing defensive stands are just as capable of electrifying a stadium as a perfectly placed touchdown pass. After all, Maye can put points on the scoreboard, but it’s the players on the other side of the ball who can make sure those points matter. That’s what makes this Patriots team so intriguing.
For a while, the conversation surrounding New England’s offense seemed to revolve around what the Patriots didn’t have. Not enough weapons. Not enough explosiveness. Not enough help for their young quarterback. However, New England finds some intriguing options on their roster.
A.J. Brown’s return gives New England an established playmaker who demands attention from opposing defenses. Romeo Doubs, DeMario Douglas, and the rest of the receiving corps have opportunities to prove this offense can create problems in several different ways. That’s where things could become uncomfortable for opposing defenses.
It’s one thing to prepare for a talented quarterback. It’s another to prepare for a quarterback surrounded by players capable of making defenses regret focusing too much attention on any single target and demanding recognition. Elijah Ponder might be one of the most interesting stories on the roster. An undrafted player developing into a legitimate pass-rushing threat? That’s the kind of story that deserves more than a passing mention between quarterback highlights.
Then there’s Christian Gonzalez, whose importance to the secondary goes well beyond the interceptions and highlight-reel plays that get everyone talking. With Christian Barmore and Milton Williams capable of creating disruption along the defensive line, New England has the pieces to make life miserable for opposing offenses.
The defense needs to keep making quarterbacks uncomfortable, disrupting drives, and giving New England opportunities to win. Keep those sacks coming.
Not every important contribution ends with a touchdown celebration; at times it’s a running back fighting for an extra three yards. Sometimes it’s an offensive lineman creating enough space. It’s also a special teams player making a tackle that completely changes field position. Those plays aren’t always glamorous and nobody’s rushing to buy a jersey because an offensive lineman successfully picked up a blitz. But those moments matter. Players like Rhamondre Stevenson, TreVeyon Henderson, and the men protecting Maye have responsibilities that go well beyond producing impressive fantasy football numbers.
If New England wants to keep building momentum, the Patriots will need contributions from every corner of the roster.
It’s easy to get caught up in the excitement surrounding Maye. He’s the quarterback, he’s the headline-maker, and he’s understandably becoming the center of attention. But the most encouraging thing about this Patriots team might be that the conversation is getting bigger. There are emerging defensive playmakers, established veterans, developing offensive weapons, and players whose contributions rarely dominate social media.
That’s what makes this team interesting.
The Patriots don’t need Maye to stop being the star. They need the rest of the roster to make sure he isn’t the only one in the atmosphere. If these players continue stepping up, opposing teams might discover that stopping Drake Maye was only the beginning of their problems.
New England is making sure Patriots fans are getting their money’s worth on the team. On October 4th against Buffalo, wide receiver Efton Chism III made an absolutely ridiculous, one-handed, 23-yard touchdown grab with 1:50 remaining, helping the Patriots pull off a 29–26 comeback victory.
Who?
The Patriots are spooking opponents with some more wildly monstrous plays. In Week Five, they performed the Hook-and-Lateral vs the Raiders during the second quarter on a 3rd-and-11. Quarterback Drake Maye threw a short pass to rookie wide receiver Efton Chism III, who then lateraled the ball to running back TreVeyon Henderson for a 12-yard first-down conversion. Head coach Mike Vrabel joked that Chism was “acting like Travis Kelce” and going rogue, though coaches later confirmed elements of the play were designed.
Who?
In the same Week Five game, Efton Chism III also connected on a 16-yard double-pass completion to wide receiver Mack Hollings. You hadn’t heard of Chism before?
You have now.
Oh, and did I mention he was an undrafted free agent?
Efton Chism III wasn’t even supposed to be an attraction. With Mack Hollins sidelined by an injury, he was given an opportunity to step up, and he took that as permission to embarrass Buffalo’s secondary on national television. Fantasy Football pick up, anyone?
During Sunday’s matchup against the New York Jets, New England reached into its bag of tricks and pulled out a double-pass play involving Rhamondre Stevenson and Drake Maye. For a moment, the Patriots looked like a group of kids drawing up plays in the backyard. New England’s supporting cast is getting tired of being treated like background characters.
DeMario Douglas wasn’t about to let Boubs have all the fun, adding a touchdown of his own while leading the Patriots with seven receptions for 86 yards. Don’t forget Hunter Henry, who joined the touchdown party in the fourth quarter.
The offense wasn’t the only group demanding attention. Charles Woods joined the excitement with an interception, while Christian Barmore and Milton Williams made their presence known by getting after the quarterback. Meanwhile, Corey Kiner chipped in 57 rushing yards on 11 carries, another reminder that the players doing the less glamorous work deserve a little appreciation, too.
It wasn’t a flawless afternoon. New England still had its struggles, and the Jets weren’t about to roll over and hand the Patriots another victory. But that’s what made the contributions from the rest of the roster so important. Players like Stevenson are typically the guy defenders expect to see carrying the football, not participating in a double-pass sequence. That unpredictability is what makes these types of plays so entertaining. It’s another reminder that the Patriots have more tricks up their sleeves than asking Maye to make another spectacular throw.
The Patriots defeated the Jets 23–16 on Sunday, improving to 4–2 with their third consecutive victory. There’s no denying Drake Maye deserves the attention he’s getting. He’s becoming the face of a franchise that finally seems to be finding its footing again.
While everyone is busy talking about Maye, the rest of the Patriots are making a pretty convincing argument that they deserve a little fame themselves. Whether it’s Efton Chism III pulling off catches that shouldn’t be physically possible, Rhamondre Stevenson getting involved in backyard-style trickery, Romeo Doubs finding the end zone, or Charles Woods stealing a possession, New England is proving that its most dangerous weapon might not be one individual player, but the growing number of players capable of making something happen when nobody expects it.
After Sunday’s victory, the Patriots have won three straight games. Maye will undoubtedly continue collecting the headlines, his teammates are giving opposing defenses plenty of other names to remember. Maybe it’s time we stop asking who else the Patriots have besides Drake Maye.
The better question might be, who are opponents supposed to stop first?
The Patriots are building a team that makes everyone else worth talking about. They aren’t knocking on doors asking for candy this October. They’re kicking them down and taking touchdowns for the win.
What a treat!
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