It's quite evident that Drake Maye and the New England Patriots needed whatever help they could get to score the ball from the 1-yard line in their Week 12 victory over the Cincinnati Bengals. The Patriots quarterback thinks he might have the answer.

Maye jokingly brought up an unconventional idea to help get better at QB sneaks.

“I gotta find a way to get in, I think that’s the biggest thing,” Maye told reporters. “I don’t think there’s an art [to it], I think there’s a mentality … I gotta flip the switch, or do some smelling salts in there. Do something to get in the end zone from the one.”

Maye and the Patriots rank 20th in red zone efficiency, a surprise weakness for the team with the NFL's best record entering Week 13. In fact, the Patriots also have the league's seventh-best scoring offense, making that stat a little more surprising.

Their red zone woes were on full display early in the second half of the 26-20 win over the Bengals. They had six plays from the Bengals' 1-yard line on one drive and were unable to score on any of those plays, turning the ball over on downs.

New England's ability to get a yard in that situation is even more of a surprise when you consider his dual-threat ability and size. Maye has rushed for 307 yards this season, and with his 6-foot-4 frame, his body should be conducive to getting a yard on a QB sneak.

It's certainly a step back from the days Tom Brady was under center, when it felt automatic that the Patriots would get the yard necessary whenever they ran a QB sneak. But the Patriots also want to pick up a yard when needed without having to rely on their quarterback's mobility, head coach Mike Vrabel told reporters on Wednesday.

“I mean, we’ve had some of those plays and we’ve called some of those plays. And so, you kind of want to be careful,” Vrabel said. “Guys are going in concussion protocol left and right.

“Again, we’ll be willing to do anything to win a football game, but I think being smart is probably the biggest thing. We’ve run Drake and he’s run himself, and then we’ve handed it off to the running backs. And so, I think it’s just about a good balance of plays that we feel like can help us.”

Article Continues Below

What Patriots QB Drake Maye is thankful for at Thanksgiving

While we harp on the Patriots' struggles to score in the red zone, it's been a pretty good year for Maye and the team. They're 10-2 and are surprisingly in the driver's seat in the AFC East ahead of the holiday. Maye has been a focal point for that, leading the league in passing yards (3,130) and is fourth in passing touchdowns (21) entering Week 13.

Maye remained humble in sharing what he's thankful for this Thanksgiving.

“Shoot, I’m thankful for a lot of things,” Maye said. “Thankful to, shoot, play this game. Thankful for the people that are in my life. Thankful for — shoot, thankful for the fanbase, thankful for you guys.” 

Maye and the Patriots will try to remain thankful when they host the 2-10 New York Giants on Monday night.