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Drake Maye is ready to put an exclamation point on his impressive rookie season. The New England Patriots rookie has been dealing with a hand injury ahead of Week 18 but appears to be ready to play through it.
Days after head coach Jerod Mayo said that Maye would start if he was healthy enough, offensive coordinator Alex Van Pelt said that he would “for sure” play against the Buffalo Bills, per ESPN's Mike Reiss. It is unclear when exactly Maye picked up the injury, but it will not stop him from making his ninth consecutive start.
Despite the seemingly minor nature of the injury, many questioned Maye's status due to the Patriots' current position in the 2025 NFL Draft. With a loss to the Bills, New England will secure the No. 1 overall pick in April. They became the frontrunners to do so after the New York Giants pulled off a shocking Week 17 upset of the Indianapolis Colts.
With Maye starting in the regular season finale, so too will Josh Allen, despite the Bills being locked into the No. 2 seed in the AFC playoffs. The game will be the second matchup between the two AFC East quarterbacks just two weeks after their first meeting. Buffalo beat New England 24-21 in Week 16 after finding themselves in an early 14-0 hole.
Patriots look to continue building foundation with Drake Maye in Week 18
In the final act of 2024, the Patriots look to work on developing chemistry between Maye and his fellow rookies. While the recent No. 3 overall pick has flourished since taking over for Jacoby Brissett, the rest of New England's rookie class has underwhelmed.
The Patriots spent their first five picks of the 2024 NFL Draft all on offensive players in an attempt to support Maye. The round after taking Maye, they went with Washington wideout Ja'Lynn Polk, hoping to create a dynamic duo for years to come. Maye has held up on his end, but Polk's rookie year has been nothing short of a disaster.
As of Week 17, Polk has brought in just 12 of his 33 targets for a measly 87 receiving yards. Despite torching defenses in college, his longest reception is just 21 yards as he has struggled to generate any separation downfield. The team reportedly wanted to get Polk more involved down the stretch but has been unable to do so.
For as poor as Polk has been, the rest of the Patriots' rookies have not been much better. New England spent their third and fourth-round picks on offensive linemen, selecting Caeden Wallace and Layden Robinson. Neither have been able to crack the starting lineup despite consistent injuries plaguing the unit. The team went back to receiver in the fourth round and took Javon Baker, who has zero catches on the year.
New England has just one more game to squeeze all they can out of their supporting cast around Maye. If they can't, expect another offseason of rebuilding with the No. 1 overall pick potentially in hand.
