‘Confident Kid’: Patrick Queen Not Doubting Patriots’ Drake Maye After Shaky Opener
Drake Maye is coming off a rough outing in the Patriots’ season opener, but Patrick Queen isn’t about to doubt him. After tossing three interceptions and managing just 5.4 yards per attempt, it would be easy to forget he finished second in league MVP voting a year ago. While he didn’t see the results he wanted last week, Queen sees it as part of his strength.
“I think he’s a confident kid. He can make any throw on the field”, Queen said of Maye, via the Steelers’ website. “You see he uses his legs a lot more. We always joke about it that usually quarterbacks like that don’t really get the perception that they’re fast, but he can fly. You can see the confidence growing every single game. The throws that he’s taking chances on, it’s just something that you see in a vet”.
The third-overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft, Drake Maye nearly led the Patriots to a Super Bowl title last season. During the year, he went 354-for-492 with 4,392 passing yards, 31 touchdowns, and 8 interceptions. To Queen’s point, he also rushed for 450 yards and 4 touchdowns. He also did well in the playoffs—until he didn’t, throwing two interceptions in the Super Bowl and turning the ball over eight times during New England’s four-game run. His risk-taking evidently continues to be a theme, Maye still searching for a balance between playmaking and risk-taking.
The Patriots turned the ball over five times against the Steelers last season, Drake Maye responsible for three of them. Pittsburgh still struggled to pull out the win, registering the game-winning score in the final minutes. In other words, the Steelers needed those takeaways. Will they need them again on Sunday?
And will that be on the minds of Maye and the Patriots? “Yeah, but it’s a new year”, Queen said. “I think it just gets flushed out right after that. You always look at the film and analyze it and learn from it and grow and move on. That’s what I’m expecting to have done, and we’ve got to go out there and do it again”.
The Steelers certainly relied on their takeaways in their Week 1 20-13 win over the Falcons, which included a pick-six by T.J. Watt. Turnover differential is big for every team, of course, but Pittsburgh has relied on a conservative, ball-protecting offense and an opportunistic defense. And a Drake Maye who isn’t making mistakes is somebody to worry about.
Regardless of his Week 1 showing, Patrick Queen certainly isn’t taking for granted that the Steelers will have the same success against Maye this week. At the very least, they will have to create their own success against the young but talented quarterback. And in the process, they may have to deal a blow to his confidence.
