While breaking down the Week 6 victory on Patriots Postgame Live, Patriots insider Phil Perry highlighted Maye's ability to find the open man. The 23-year-old is not just staring down the pass-catcher he might've had a strong connection with, or strictly focusing on who the play was designed for.
"Well, to me, it's the quarterback again," Perry responded when asked for his biggest takeaway. "He leads you to this victory and he does so by targeting people not named Stefon Diggs."
Maye went 18-for-26 for 261 yards with three touchdowns and did not turn the ball over for a third consecutive week.
Maye's success varied when he targeted wide receivers Kayshon Boutte and DeMario Douglas during the first month of the season. He built on those connections in a big way in The Big Easy.
Boutte, who had six receptions for 89 yards in the prior three games, caught all five passes Maye threw to him for 93 yards and two touchdowns. Boutte's contested catch on third-and-11 in crunch time ultimately put the game away and cemented New England's third straight win for the first time since 2022.
Douglas, who underwhelmed with seven receptions for 30 yards on one touchdown in the first five games, also had a largely productive afternoon. He caught three of the four balls thrown to him for 71 yards, including a 53-yard touchdown from Maye. Douglas also had another 61-yard score called back on a questionable offensive pass interference penalty.
The fact those two led the way is a good thing. It wasn't Diggs, who caught 16 passes for 247 yards during the previous two weeks. It wasn't trusted tight end Hunter Henry, who was second in receiving yards entering Week 6.
"Drake Maye is not reliant upon one or two particular receivers," Perry said. "He'll throw to the open guy."
