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Mike Reiss, ESPN Staff Writer
NASHVILLE — New England Patriots rookie quarterback Drake Maye delivered a dazzling play to send Sunday’s game against the Tennessee Titans into overtime with no time remaining in regulation, but he lamented throwing deep on an ill-advised interception that sealed a 20-17 road loss at Nissan Stadium.
The dramatic ups and downs sparked feelings of promise and disappointment from Patriots players and coaches as they dropped to 2-7.
“The guy’s special, man. The way he competes, the way he plays, the way he continues to fight,” veteran tight end Hunter Henry said of Maye, the No. 3 pick in the draft. “I’m proud of his fight. There is a lot to learn and we’re going to continue to build.”
Maye capped off an 11-play, 50-yard touchdown drive at the end of regulation with a play in which he held the ball for 11.82 seconds as he zigzagged through the pocket waiting for a receiver to uncover. He then lofted a falling-to-the-ground 5-yard pass to running back Rhamondre Stevenson in the end zone with no time left on the clock.
Since NFL Next Gen Stats tracking began in 2016, Maye’s effort is the second-longest time to throw on any touchdown pass (regular season or playoffs) behind only Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels’ Hail Mary in Week 8 to defeat the Chicago Bears (12.70 seconds).
“That’s Drake. Nobody was surprised. Drake does stuff like that all the time,” cornerback Christian Gonzalez said. “He fought and did all he could.”
Maye said he was trying to keep the play alive and credited Stevenson for his receiver-like effort before adding: “But we ended up coming short, so that play really doesn’t matter at this point.”
A significant reason was Maye’s final decision of overtime. The Titans had gone ahead 20-17 after kicking a field goal, and the Patriots took over at their own 30 with 2:32 remaining, with Maye’s 11-yard scramble on second down advancing the ball to the 41.
On first-and-10, Maye attempted a deep ball over the middle to receiver Kayshon Boutte that hung up in the air and was intercepted by safety Amani Hooker.
“We were throwing into the wind and I have to put more on it. Just a dumb decision. Something you’d like to have back,” he said. “Especially in that situation — we could at least tie it up. Sometimes the best play is to throw it away.”
Maye, who was cleared from concussion protocol on Saturday, was also intercepted early in the second quarter and strip-sacked in the fourth quarter on a play that gave the Titans a short field and led to a touchdown.
He finished 29-of-41 for 206 yards, while adding 95 rushing yards on eight scrambles. The 95 rushing yards were the second most by a Patriots quarterback since 1976 behind only Steve Grogan (103).
“If they’re dropping out guys and there are some rush lanes up front, I’m going to make them pay. That’s my mindset,” Maye said.
Patriots coach Jerod Mayo credited Maye’s mental toughness and ability to make plays via the run, before noting how the game ended.
“He’s a guy out there trying to make a play. I think sometimes as well as he has played, we forget how young he is,” Mayo said of the 22-year-old Maye. “He’s going to continue to develop, and he’ll be a good quarterback in this league. We’ll all learn from this, myself included.”