Breaking Down QB Drake Maye, the Patriots Defense and Quick-Hit Film Notes From the Comeback Win Over the Ravens

Maye only attempted two passes behind the line of scrimmage with an average target depth of 10.1 yards, while completing 4-of-5 deep passes for a career-high 111 yards and a touchdown in Week 16. By my charting, Maye had a season-high 16 ‘plus’ plays, easily breaking his previous season-high of 12 (done twice in Weeks 6 and 9). The level of difficulty on his downfield attempts was top-tier, beating deep safeties into tight windows and throwing receivers open vs. tight man coverage, while going 12-of-14 for 139 yards and a touchdown in the fourth quarter.

With the second-year QB testing some tight downfield windows came some volatility, though, and that’s the tight rope that Maye often walks. Although his net-rating in my charting was still his third-best output of the season (16 plus, 7.5 minus), Maye had three turnover-worthy plays, including an interception and strip-sack fumble in scoring territory. This wasn’t Maye’s cleanest performance, but he made several elite plays, and sometimes the quarterback has to take those risks to elevate a shorthanded offense against a good pass defense.

Here’s a review of the Patriots defense and quick-hit film notes from the win over the Ravens After Further Review.

Defense Review: How Did the Patriots Match the Ravens Heavy Personnel Groupings?

As we start to think about the playoffs, styles make fights in the NFL postseason, where the better team often finds itself on the ropes because it gets caught in a tricky matchup.

One thing that made the Ravens an intriguing matchup was that the nickel-heavy Patriots were either going to need to adapt to Baltimore’s heavy personnel groupings or try to survive the run game with five defensive backs on the field. The Pats playing in nickel defense, which they use 70.8% of the time (seventh-highest in the NFL), was something ESPN analyst Dan Orlovsky first brought up as a potential fatal flaw. In theory, if the Pats stay in three-corner nickel (five DBs), opposing run games might feast.

On Sunday night, the Patriots personnel matching vs. the Ravens was interesting. New England treated Baltimore’s 12-personnel grouping (1 RB, 2 TE, 2 WR) like it was a three-receiver package, playing either nickel (11) or dime (two) against those groupings. In 12-personnel, the Ravens only rushed five times for 25 yards and a score, with the Patriots accurately predicting that the Ravens would mostly throw out of their standard two-tight end sets.

When the Ravens put FB Patrick Ricard on the field in their two-back formations, New England played exclusively base defense, with 30 snaps in base and two snaps with only three (heavy) defensive backs, and zero nickel snaps against 21 (2 RB, 1 TE, 2 WR) or 22-personnel (2 RB, 2 TE, 1 WR). Despite putting bigger bodies on the field, the Patriots run defense allowed 134 rushing yards on 25 carries (5.4 YPC) with a 52% success rate against their base defense.

With the playoffs on the horizon, it’s good to know how the Patriots will treat certain offensive groupings, and they’re at least willing to get out of nickel defense if the opponent goes heavy, which should quell some of the concerns brought up by Orlovsky. Still, they’ll need to be better at stopping the run in base defense against teams that utilize multiple tight ends and fullbacks, like the Bills, Steelers, or possibly the Jaguars.

Quick-Hit Film Notes From Patriots-Ravens

– Contributing to the Pats O-Line’s 44.2% pressure rate were some protection breakdowns against the Ravens stunts and line games. The O-Line had issues passing off both two-man stunts (T/T, T/E) and three-man games, leading to multiple pressures from schemed Ravens rushes. Things like stunts are always something opponents watch for on film, and if the opposing O-Line struggles with them, defenses will pull those levers repeatedly until the Patriots prove they can block them. They’ll need to clean it up.

– WR Stefon Diggs was absolutely terrific in his third 100-yard performance in prime time this season. Diggs continues to be a masterful route-runner, catching six passes for 75 yards vs. zone, but also added three catches for 63 yards against man coverage. After the Bills shut down the Pats in man-to-man last week, it was great to see Diggs running away from man–to-man for gains of 33, 21, and nine yards. He beat Ravens CB Marlon Humphrey cleanly on a crosser, while running several savvy routes into zone voids. If the Patriots can get games like that from Diggs in the postseason, they might be looking at a deep playoff run. ​

– RB Rhamondre Stevenson is on a two-game heater with several dirty runs vs. the Bills, followed by huge plays in big moments vs. the Ravens. Stevenson made excellent cuts on his 21-yard game-winner, recognizing the backside developing to hit the FB lead play, and turned a check down into a 23-yard gain with another smooth cut. Stevenson also had an 11-yard run on a counter-read play to help ice the game and a great blitz pickup on Ravens S Kyle Hamilton. His lone blemishes were a pressure allowed in pass protection (assignment) and an incomplete pass that just missed on a go route while flexed out. Stevenson’s ability to elude tackles looks to be back, post-toe injury, and he came through in the clutch.

– WR Mack Hollins had two explosive plays on a 20-yard crosser that got the Patriots game-winning drive started and caught a 20-yard dagger route to move the chains on third down. Maye also seems uber-confident throwing quick games to Hollins, especially outs from under-center, which gives the offense easy layups on early-downs to get into a rhythm. Hollins is a big, QB-friendly target, and you can tell Maye likes throwing to receivers with his body type.

– WR Kyle Williams’ ability to create deep separation flashed once again on his 37-yard TD, running by Humphrey and finishing with strong concentration at the catch point. That wasn’t an easy catch, by any means, but Williams made it look easy. He also drew a holding call to move the chains on an early third down and caught a 9-yard under route, a pattern that he and Maye haven’t always connected on this season.

– WR Kayshon Boutte had a tough whistle in this game. He had a third-down catch wiped out by an offensive pass interference call and then didn’t get the call on an obvious defensive pass interference late in the game.

– TE Hunter Henry probably should’ve had two touchdowns, but he couldn’t finish through contact from OLB Kyle Van Noy on a downfield target from Maye. Henry made up for it with some solid underneath work to keep the Pats on schedule in the fourth quarter and caught a 13-yard pass from Maye as an open safety valve in a scramble drill.

– TE Austin Hooper had two key catches with a 26-yard completion on a well-placed back-shoulder seam pass that set up a touchdown and an 8-yard blitz-beater where he made himself available quickly. Hooper hasn’t been targeted much with the Pats being three-receiver heavy lately, but he continues to make the most of his opportunities.​

– LT Vederian Lowe struggled with the Ravens speed rushers, mainly Dre’Mont Jones, but Van Noy and rookie Mike Green were also tough matchups. Lowe allowed six total pressures and a sack, mostly giving up a short corner to speed off the edge. Lowe is at his best when he’s able to stay inside-out by timing up the snap count, but there were a few times he was slow out of his stance, which contributed to some losses, including on Maye’s interception. Lowe did have two plus-blocks in the run game, including a nice backside cutoff on a 7-yard run.

– LG Jared Wilson also had some issues with the Ravens big interior rushers, allowing six total pressures, losing mostly to interior stunts and bull rushers. Wilson was involved in two failed stunt pass-offs, while DT Travis Jones’s power gave him problems. The rookie also allowed a tackle for loss in the run game when Hamilton blitzed through his outside edge.

– C Garrett Bradbury wasn’t credited with any pressures allowed individually, but he was involved in two failed stunt pickups where the Ravens won on the interior. Those appeared to be more on Wilson, but the veteran center can hopefully help the rookie out in the future.

– RG Mike Onwenu had a great frontside reach block that sprung a 7-yard run for the Patriots on their wildcat scheme, and helped fan out the backside rushing lane for Stevenson on his game-winner. Onwenu was involved in one of the failed stunt schemes, but didn’t allow any pressure in 1-on-1 pass sets.

– RT Morgan Moses gutted through a knee injury that clearly limited him, allowing pressure to Van Noy on Maye’s interception and two other hurries. Again, it appeared that both tackles were late off the ball on the interception, so something might’ve been up there with the cadence. Moses deserves credit for playing through an injury, as his team didn’t have very many other options with only Lowe, Moses, and OT Thuyer Munford (also banged up with a knee injury) active.

– OT Thayer Munford has done some nice work for the Patriots in their six OL packages and spot duty at right tackle. Munford allowed one pressure on a play-action drop-back in 15 pass-blocking snaps and had two standout run blocks on gains of seven and six yards. Given the NFL’s tackle depth issues, it’s a little crazy that Munford was just sitting on the Browns practice squad until the Patriots signed him in November.

– QB Pressures (44.2% pressure rate): Lowe (sack, hit, four hurries), Wilson (hit, five hurries), Moses (hit, two hurries), Stevenson (hit), Munford (hit).