New England Patriots
“I think last week, if you change it, Kayshon [Boutte] doesn’t make the play.”
FOXBOROUGH — For the third week in a row, Drake Maye and the Patriots are facing an imposing defense.
After doing enough damage against a stingy Chargers defense on Jan. 11 and overcoming the Texas’ suffocating pass rush last Sunday, Maye and Co. will try to get the better of the Denver Broncos’ dynamic defense in the AFC championship game at Empower Field at Mile High.
It won’t be easy, with Denver ranked fourth in the league in points allowed per game (18.9) and fifth in yards allowed per contest (287.7).
But with a trip to Super Bowl LX on the line, Drake Maye isn’t changing his approach under center — especially when it comes to searching for explosive plays by way of heaves down the field.
Even with reigning NFL Defensive Player of the Year Patrick Surtain II anchoring Denver’s secondary, Maye expects to sling it when the opportunity presents itself on Sunday in Denver.
“I don’t think you try to change it,” Maye said Wednesday when asked if he might be a bit more conservative with his throws in Denver. “I think last week, if you change it, Kayshon [Boutte] doesn’t make the play. Little things like that are just knowing the time and place for it.
“Trying to get the ball out of my hand and just being cognizant of the edge rushers and taking care of the football is the No. 1 thing. If we have time and have a look downfield, you know me, I’m gonna take a shot.”
As elite as Houston’s defense has been all season, Maye and the Patriots still managed to generate some explosive plays during last Sunday’s divisional-round matchup.
Highlighted by Boutte’s one-handed touchdown grab in the fourth quarter, Maye and the Patriots generated seven plays of at least 15 yards against the Texans.
Maye has doled out plenty of damage this season with his pin-point deep ball — with New England leading all NFL teams during regular-season action in explosive-play rate (8.1 percent).
But Maye and the Patriots could run into some trouble on Sunday if their QB continues to be on the prowl for throws deep down the field. Beyond needing to account for one of the best cover corners in the NFL in Surtain, the Broncos deliver damage with their pass-rushing prowess.
The Broncos led all NFL teams during the regular season with 68.0 sacks, while also ranking third in pressure rate (41.8 percent).
Headlined by Nik Bonitto (14.0 sacks), the Broncos can dole out plenty of pain against QBs looking to buy some time before uncorking the ball down the field.
As such, Maye will need to know when to live to fight another day on some drives — even if that means taking a possession-ending sack instead of trying to extend the play and running the risk of turning the ball over.
After getting knocked for four fumbles (two recovered by Houston) last Sunday, Maye stressed that ball security remains a primary focus entering New England’s latest postseason matchup.
“Just work on it in practice,” Maye said. “Be mindful back there and just know that my job is to protect the football. That’s every game. One of the biggest things for the guys up front is it’s my job to have a timer in my head.
“Those guys have done a great job all year. I have lots of trust in those guys up front. I know we’ve faced some pretty good edge rushers in the past couple of weeks, and I know we got another good set of edge rushers coming up this week. Just know, have a feel for it, just protect the football because that’s my job.”
Even though Maye has run into some turnover woes so far this postseason against Los Angeles and Houston, Stefon Diggs had his QB’s back on Wednesday as the Patriots try to punch their ticket back to the Super Bowl.
“Our quarterback continues to show up, especially in those moments where things can go left or right,” Diggs said. “He’s making the right reads. He’s making the right throws. He’s rolling with the punches. Playoff ball, it’s not going to be pretty. I’ll take our leader any day.”
“I don’t think any of his plays are really bad plays,” Diggs added. “It’s just part of football. I watch him, and his demeanor and his temperament throughout the game, it never changes. I think he’s consistent. The more people that band behind him, you see it. Once he gets rolling, he’s real scary. He’s a young quarterback but he has had a maturation process second to none in my opinion.”
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