Drake Maye wasn't able to lead the New England Patriots past the Los Angeles Rams on Sunday, losing 28-22. However, he earned respect from Matthew Stafford and Sean McVay following the loss.

The Rams' quarterback and head coach each spoke highly of the rookie signal-caller who completed 30 of 40 passes for 282 yards, two touchdowns, and an interception with a 100.2 passer rating and 27 rushing yards against them.

“Really talented player,” Stafford said. “I've watched a little bit of crossover tape just from games, but really talented kid. Obviously can move great in the pocket. I thought he stood in there a few times today and made some nice plays on third down. He's got a bright future.”

To Stafford's point, the Patriots converted on 6 of 14 third-down opportunities while the Rams went just 2-for-8 on third-down opportunities. So, even though Stafford threw for 295 yards and four touchdowns while nabbing the win, Maye had the veteran beat there.

Maye's ability to buy time with his legs was a big reason for his success on some of those third-down plays and throughout Sunday's game. That was a big thing McVay noticed about Maye's performance in the Rams' win over the Patriots.

“You can really see his ability to create off-schedule,” McVay said. “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 showed flashes through his first five starts, but Sunday was arguably the best performance of Maye's young career. The 282 yards he threw were a career-high and he led the Patriots to five scoring drives, keeping his team in the game as they trailed for much of the last three quarters.

McVay came away from Sunday's game highly impressed with Maye, to say the least.

“He looks like a stud. I didn't do too much work on him coming out,” McVay said. “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.”

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Sunday's game wasn't full of bright spots for Maye. In fact, his game ended with a bit of a dude. He had an opportunity to help the Patriots take the lead in the final minutes, but he threw an interception that sealed the win for the Rams.

DeMario Douglas didn't turn around when Maye threw the ball in his direction, leading to Kamren Kinchens to make a relatively interception. Even though Douglas didn't turn around for the throw, Maye took accountability for the pass he made.

“I tried to kind of put it on them and kind of hit them over the linebacker, and Pop was thinking probably deep,” Maye said. “But at the end of the day, just got to be on the same page, and I think Pop did the right thing, I guess, got to just talk through more conversations. Just goes back to me during the week doing more, talking through different situations, hey, I may put this one on you versus let it rip. That's about it.”

Maye and Douglas will try to get on the same page when the Patriots take on the Miami Dolphins in Week 12.