Like any young quarterback, Patriots rookie Drake Maye will produce both his best and worst on a weekly basis. So a word to the wise: don’t overreact to either.

In the Patriots’ 28-22 loss to the Los Angeles Rams on Sunday, Maye had what should be considered his best game as a pro, completing 30-of-40 passes for 282 yards with three sacks, two touchdowns, one interception and a quarterback rating of 100.2. Before throwing a game-ending interception on the final play of the game, Maye’s quarterback rating rested at 113.4, the kind of number that should make any Patriots fan salivate.

“You look at it, and you can really see his ability to create off schedule,” raved Rams head coach Sean McVay. “I thought he did a great job of being able to make plays in the pocket today, extend drives. I thought he was patient, taking some underneath check-downs where guys were able to create. We had tighter coverages, and he was able to fit the ball into tight windows. He looks like a stud. I didn’t do too much work on him coming out. I do know a lot of people that studied him really hard that I truly respect their opinions loved what he was all about. You can see just the impact that he has on his teammates, the way people talk about him here. He looks like he’s going to be a special player for a long time, and he gave us fits today.”

Considering the source, especially, that is no small praise. And while Maye made his share of mistakes on Sunday, his overall performance was arguably his most consistent and productive to date as a professional.

Before we get into some of the particulars, there’s something to note here: everybody loves the flashy highlights plays, but Maye’s consistency (or lack thereof) is what will ultimately define him. His ability to consistently make the good plays – and not necessarily the great ones – will ultimately determine his future. People seemingly love to use Josh Allen as a rough comparison for Maye, so remember this: Allen reached another level when he started consistently making the bread-and-butter plays on which scoring drives are built. He eliminated the erratic ones.

As such, here are a collection of (five) plays that warrant praise over the weekend – and (three) others that Maye still has to clean up – with the benefit of slo-motion, the speeds reduced to either half-speed or one-third speed:

• THE GOOD

  First quarter

  Maye to Douglas on third-&-7

  You want athleticism and play-making ability? Watch this one. Maye feels the pressure and is able to buy a fraction more time by sliding up and to his right. He is nonetheless able to snap this throw to a crossing DeMario Douglas, who turns it into a 28-yard gain. The Patriots scored a touchdown on this drive to take a 7-0 lead, the final play a Maye bullet to Kendrick Bourne in the end zone. Good stuff.

• First quarter

  Maye to Bourne on second-&-6

  A play similar to the one above, the Patriots held a 7-0 lead when facing a second-and-6 from their own 34-yard line late in the first quarter. Maye again feels pressure, sliding up and to his right. This time, he executes a simple little dump off to Kendrick Bourne, who helps out his quarterback, then spins and runs for an 18-yard gain. Good decision-making all around. Sometimes, the best play is a simple one.

• Third quarter

  Maye to Henry on second-&-5 and first-&-10

  A two-play sequence this time, but it’s worth noting. Maye completes consecutive passes to tight end Hunter Henry on this sequence – and we’re including it because of where Maye puts the passes. While it’s not entirely visible on this angle, Maye places the ball away from the defender on Henry’s right on the first catch. (It’s a little low, but it does the trick.) The second throw is to the outside, where only Henry can catch it. Henry completed 75 percent of his passes in this game in what was his most accurate game of the season. Don’t overlook that.

• Fourth quarter

  Maye to Boutte on second-&-12

  With 11:03 remaining in the game, the Patriots started at their own 11-yard line trailing 28-19. They need two scores. On first down, Rhamondre Stevenson loses two years and New England faces a second-and-12 from its own nine-yard line. Earlier in the season, a two-yard loss might have spelled the end for any Patriots possession. But on this play, Boutte runs a slant and Maye delivers the ball quickly – and on the money. Boutte spins out a tackle to fall forward and gain 13 yards, giving the Patriots an immediate first down and resetting the possession. Earlier in the game Boutte had a somewhat similar play and dropped the pass, though the ball was a little high. (He still should have caught it.) Maye later threw the Patriots’ first touchdown on a similar route and nailed this throw, which now feels like a layup for him.

   

• Fourth quarter

  Maye to Bourne on second-&-6

  Two plays after the above completion to Boutte, the Rams are playing zone. Bourne sits down in a small area between two defenders and Maye zips the ball in, allowing Bourne to again turn and run for a 21-yard gain. While the Patriots only ended up with three points on this drive, the possession was upended because Ja’Lynn Polk committed a false start on fourth-and-1. These last two completions (to Boutte and Bourne) came against man-to-man and zone, defenses Maye quickly read and decisively beat. Good stuff. 

• THE BAD

  Second quarter

  Maye doesn’t see an open DeMario Douglas on third-&-3

  Look, quarterback isn’t easy, let alone for a rookie starting his sixth game. Trailing 14-7, the Patriots face a third-and-3 from the Rams’ 13-yard line late in the second quarter. The Rams send a seven-man blitz, prompting Maye to throw the ball away and leading to a field goal to make it 14-10.

  Admittedly, the video below makes the play look easier than it was. We’ve spotlighted Douglas both before and after the snap. If Maye had been able to process this just a whisker more quickly, he could have delivered the ball for a first down and, perhaps, touchdown. Watch Douglas’ reaction at the end of the play, where he seems to recognize a missed opportunity.

   

• Third quarter

  Maye throws a near-interception on first-&-5

  The Pats are down 21-10 at this point and need two scores. Maye looks for his go-to guy, Hunter Henry, who is covered near the pylon at the front right corner of the end zone. The pass ends up incomplete after nearly being picked, but count the white shirts near Maye. Not a great decision. Why was this play important? Because the Patriots called runs on the next two plays. It was as if Alex Van Pelt (or Jerod Mayo?) chickened out and decided, at worst, to just take the three points. Interestingly, later in the game, the Patriots ran a tackle-eligible play in roughly this same field position that resulted in an easier throw for Maye and a touchdown.

• Fourth quarter

  Maye sacked on second-&-6

  While the biggest play of the game came on the second-quarter strip sack that led to the second Rams touchdown and a 14-7 Los Angeles lead – the Rams never again trailed after that – Maye took another costly sack late. (Michael Felger noted this and he’s right.) Just before the game-sealing interception by the Rams, the Patriots had a second-and-6 after the 2-minute warning. Maye had time to throw the ball away but failed to do so. The result? The Patriots had to burn their final timeout. Instead of third-and-6, Maye then faced a third-and-13, leading to a miscommunication with Douglas that ended the game. Everyone remembers the interceptions. But the second on second down put the Pats in a bad position and Maye, as many rookies would, got impatient. If it had been third-and-6, he may not have rushed this throw. 

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