New England Patriots quarterback Drake Maye kept his teammates in the dark Sunday on what turned out to be the play that clinched his team’s Super Bowl berth.
Maye had the run of a lifetime to seal the Patriots’ 10-7 win over the Broncos at Empower Field at Mile High in Denver, Colo. Facing 3rd-and-6 at his own 40, Maye faked a handoff and kept it himself for a gutsy first-down run with under two minutes left.
DRAKE MAYE OUTRUNS HIM
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Broncos linebacker Jonah Elliss looked like he had a beat on Maye at the line of scrimmage. But the Patriots QB used a timely stiff arm on Elliss to create the separation necessary to eek out a first down.
Patriots center Garrett Bradbury revealed during his postgame press conference that Maye completely improvised his run. The O-line was anticipating Rhamondre Stevenson to get the ball and were just as shocked as everyone else that Maye got the first down himself.
“After the game, Drake’s like, ‘I debated telling you guys if I was gonna [keep] it or not. But I just decided not to’ … I’m expecting Rhamondre to try and hit a hole,” Bradbury said, via Andrew Callahan of the Boston Herald. “And I turn around, Drake’s over there with the ball, and I’m like, ‘Go, go, go!’ Because we didn’t know.”
Maye confirmed it during his own press conference, stating that he had anticipated the Broncos’ defense to “get lackadaisical,” expecting Stevenson to run right. Maye’s gut was what turned out to be right.
Maye went 10/21 for 86 yards in the snowy Colorado conditions. The Patriots star also rushed 10 times for 65 yards, which proved to be the difference in the closing moments.
