Once a powerhouse that used to blow teams apart under the Brady-Belichick era, has now found itself trying to save face with whatever is left of its season. Taking on the Dolphins in Miami, the Patriots have one final chance to salvage their season. Although it looks impossible now, considering their 3-8 record after 11 games, their head coach, Jerod Mayo, is still urging his team to continue fighting while sending a strong message to them.

With the game starting in a few hours, Mayo made a cheeky reference to his rookie, Drake Maye, who threw two turnovers against the Rams. Catching up with CBS reporter Aditi Kinkhabwala, Mayo says, “We need to win this football game…no turnovers and we’ll have a good chance to win.” Among those two interceptions, Maye’s final one came when the Patriots were looking for a third-and-13. They were deep in their 25-yard line while still trailing by six points.

This led to Maye throwing it downfield to his receiver, DeMario Douglas. However, the 22-year-old’s pass ended up landing behind Douglas, who couldn’t judge the flight on it. And with seconds to play, Rams safety Kamren Kinchens capitalized on the mistake. He pounced on Maye’s throw, thereby confirming their victory on the day.

After the game, both Maye and Douglas ended up calling that stroke of play ‘miscommunication’ as the Patriots QB shared, “It was a two-high look and Pop’s up the middle, and they’re pretty good up front rushing five. I tried to kind of put it on them and kind of hit them over the linebacker, and Pop was thinking probably deep. At the end of the day, just got to be on the same page.” Echoing Maye’s thoughts on the final play, Douglas added, “I was running my route. It was just miscommunication on both of us.”

However, Maye’s two turnovers last week shouldn’t distract you from the fact that his season is beyond just promising.

Drake Maye remains the only beacon of hope in the Patriots’ unflattering season

Although the Patriots could start planning for next season with Drake Maye starting at center, this year could have been different if they opted for Maye from the beginning. It took them until 6 weeks to move away from Jacoby Brissett. And now, with Maye getting the keys to the Patriots offense, he is turning out to be everything they had hoped for.

After 11 weeks of NFL action, Maye remains the most accurate QB in the NFL, with 91.9 accuracy on his passes. With an average of 238 passing yards and 40 rushing yards, Maye has hit the ground running as expected. His early dominance has led to earning praise from all corners in the NFL. And this week, it was Dolphins defensive coordinator Anthony Weaver who joined Maye’s fan club, “The thing you see on tape is he just doesn’t lack confidence. He trusts his ability. He trusts his arm.”

Even Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel chimed in with his thoughts ahead of the clash, “It’s always impressive when rookie quarterbacks make plays in the NFL level. Just because there’s a lot coming at them…I think it’s a credit to him and his preparation and the coaching staff as well.” Well, seeing the way Maye has performed so far, he does have a lot to offer in this Patriots rebuilding era. The way he has taken on his role in Foxborough, sky is the only limit to Drake Maye’s capabilities.