I can't speak for every neutral, but I think for a lot of us, the experience of watching the Super Bowl was sitting around and willing Drake Maye to do something for the New England Patriots—not because we wanted the Pats to win, but because the game was extremely boring.
By the end of the third quarter, I was totally tuned out. I couldn't even tell you firsthand what happened in the last 15 minutes. But reading about what developed near the game's conclusion, it appears Maye came alive. His performance in the fourth was literally unprecedented, with his 235 passing yards setting a new record for the most in one Super Bowl quarter. That's amazing! When I was paying attention, it sure looked like Seattle was eating him for breakfast, brunch, lunch, mid-afternoon snack, dinner, and late-night treat. But as soon as I looked away, I guess he turned into the second coming of Joe Montana.
I apologize for this oversight in the line of duty, but since I didn't bear witness to such a peerless performance, I asked my editor to cut together the key plays of Maye's fourth quarter. We're on a tight deadline, so it's going into this piece after I turn in the draft. But I'm sure it's filled with the kind of competent, sure-handed signal-calling that led the Patriots all the way through such a challenging path to the AFC title.
This is, without a doubt, the version of Drake Maye that Patriots fans deserve.
