Patriots’ Drake Maye already leading by example before first playoff run

Drake Maye is locked in for the New England Patriots’ wild-card matchup against the Los Angeles Chargers, so much so that it’s getting in the way of some of his other obligations.

Maye ran a little late to his weekly press conference on Wednesday due to meetings he was having with his team to help prep for the Patriots’ matchup against the Chargers. However, Maye doesn’t want his Patriots teammates to change too much of their routine, either.

“I think what Coach [Mike Vrabel] was preaching is just don’t change our process, our preparation, throughout the week, what we’ve been doing,” Maye told reporters. “I think the natural thing is to get a little more amped. I guess that’s just natural, as a human, for a big game. Just trust what you’ve been doing. I told these guys at the end of the season, before the playoffs came, to put some extra work in, to stay after practice. Some guys have been running extra routes and little things like that that can go a long way, but don’t do anything out of the ordinary.

“That’s the biggest thing. Trust what you’ve been doing. Trust the preparation you’ve been doing all season. Trust your coaches and your teammates around you, and just go out there and have fun. It’s playoff football, so you’ve got to bring your best, and everybody knows that.”

Drake Maye arrived a bit later than the norm for his weekly press conference.

“I told these guys when the playoffs came, to put some extra work in, stay after practice — and some guys have been throwing extra routes and little things like that that can go a long way,” he says. pic.twitter.com/ViHpf4rOr3

— Mike Reiss (@MikeReiss) January 7, 2026

Of course, this is Maye’s first trip to the postseason. After a poor 4-13 rookie season, the second-year quarterback is a big reason why the Patriots are in the playoffs. Maye is widely viewed as one of the top two candidates for MVP after throwing for 4,394 yards, 31 touchdowns, and eight interceptions to go with 450 rushing yards and four rushing touchdowns.

What Drake Maye said of Patriots’ matchup against Chargers

Maye’s performance helped give the Patriots No. 2 seed, pitting them up against the seventh-seed Chargers in a matchup between two of the league’s top quarterbacks. However, Maye doesn’t view Sunday’s game as necessarily a battle between him and Justin Herbert.

“I think you play the defense. You play who you’re out there on the field against,” Maye said. “I think the quarterback matchup is one of the things that’s natural for people to do, but I’m playing against 11 guys on defense. Unless he rolls out there on defense, I don’t expect him to do that. I’m focusing on the defense, and we’ve got a tough job.”

It’s certainly a tough job for Maye and the Patriots’ offense. The Chargers’ defense ranks fifth in total defense and ninth in scoring. They were also tied for 10th in sacks this season, while ranking tied for seventh in takeaways as well.

So, it’s certainly a hard-nosed defense for Maye to try and figure out in his playoff debut. He also struggled against this same Chargers’ defense last season, throwing just 117 yards as the Patriots lost, 40-7. But a year can certainly make a difference, and the expectation is that Maye will have a better showing this time around as New England is a three-point favorite for Sunday’s game.

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