The Wild Card round of the NFL Playoffs featured several strong quarterback performances from Caleb Williams, Josh Allen, and Matthew Stafford. Drake Maye also quietly delivered a solid outing in a low-scoring 16-3 game against the LA Chargers. He threw for 268 yards and a touchdown, averaged 9.2 yards per completion, and added 66 rushing yards.
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Watching from home, Jameis Winston says Maye’s performance impressed him the most during wild-card weekend. It was a surprising take, given that Allen and Stafford posted better statistical games. However, Winston explains that elite performances from those quarterbacks were expected in that moment.
Maye, on the other hand, had much more to prove under pressure. It was his first career playoff start, and Winston believed that context made his showing stand out above the rest.
“I gotta go with Drake… I just think that the consistency Drake Maye has played with this entire year has been impressive,” Winston shared on the New Heights podcast with Jason and Travis Kelce.
“Especially, like, his offensive coordinator just got fired last year. His head coach parted ways a year before, and he’s coming onto this tour,” Winston added.
Maye hasn’t just been impressive this season. He’s been sensational. So much so that he’s up for the MVP award against Stafford. Many believe that the LA Rams QB’s first-team All-Pro selection is an indicator that he will win the award. However, we saw Josh Allen win MVP while Lamar Jackson made first-team All-Pro just last season.
And that is why it is difficult to criticize Winston’s take. He did not claim that Maye outperformed the other quarterbacks statistically in the Wild Card round. He simply said the New England Patriots QB impressed him the most, which is ultimately a matter of opinion.
At the same time, though, Maye did turn the ball over twice, once via interception and once on a fumble. Both came at crucial points in the game as well. Those are mistakes he will need to clean up heading into the Divisional matchup against the Houston Texans, who arguably have the best defense in the NFL.
All in all, Winston was justified in highlighting Maye’s consistency. His final stat line looked similar to one of his regular-season performances. Even in his first playoff start, the Patriots QB did not let the moment overwhelm him. He stayed calm and composed, delivering the franchise its first playoff win since 2018.
