Inside the remarkable comeback that has Patriots teammates calling Drake Maye unstoppable

ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. – As the football soared in the air for a brief moment on Sunday, the noise level at Highmark Stadium was deafening. But in an instant, a hush fell over the crowd.

All it took was a perfectly placed pass to an undersized and relatively unknown receiver.

Right after Drake Maye completed a game-winning touchdown pass to Efton Chism III, Patriots left tackle Will Campbell turned to his quarterback.

"I said, 'You're the best in the [expletive] world,'" Campbell said. "And everybody in here believes in him and knows what he can do and bring to this team. And I think it showed today."

Over the first three weeks of the 2026 NFL season, there were many opinions about the Patriots quarterback. Maye entered Sunday's matchup in Buffalo as an underdog, who led the NFL in interceptions coming off a blowout loss.

Maye wasn't perfect on this sunny afternoon in Orchard Park, N.Y., but much like his teammates, he never lost faith. Considering how previous games went this season, it wouldn't have been a surprise to see the Patriots lose on Sunday.

Trailing by five points with 4:21 remaining, it looked more and more like the Patriots and their quarterback would come up short. Instead, a calm, cool and collected 24-year-old brought a level of poise to the Patriots huddle when they needed it the most.

Just when people thought Maye and the Patriots were collapsing, the quarterback and his teammates proved many wrong in this stunning 29-26 comeback win over the Bills. For those in the locker room, it wasn't a surprise to see Maye rise to the challenge.

"I never have lost any faith or confidence or anything in that guy," tight end Hunter Henry said. "He's a competitor. He just continues to go to work. He wants to get better. Even when things didn't go our way today, just kept fighting. Kept battling. That's what it's all about."

That's what it took for the Patriots to upset the Bills on Sunday.

Over the first three weeks, the Patriots offense operated at a concerningly low level. The group scored 10 points in Week 1, 13 in Week 2 and scored just 6 points in Week 3 in Jacksonville. The primary concerns were levied on Maye's shoulder.

The young quarterback led the NFL in interceptions to go with two fumbles.

On Sunday, the Patriots offense started fast, scoring 14 points in the first quarter, surpassing the totals from their previous three games. In that first half, however, a familiar issue popped up.

Maye was strip-sacked at 10:14 of the first quarter and then intercepted late in the second.

Had the quarterback followed the script from Seattle or Jacksonville, more turnovers would've followed in the second half. Instead, teammates say Maye gave them confidence when they needed it the most.

Following a Josh Allen touchdown pass, the Patriots trailed 26-21 with 4:21 remaining. Maye walked on the field with an elevated self-assurance.

"You just look him in the eyes and you just know it's time to go," center Jared Wilson said. "It's just us 11 in the huddle. We look each other in the eyes and, like, do it for the guy next to you. You ain't got to worry about your mistakes or whatever, because the next guy next to you got your back. Go out there, play carefree and win the game."

"Poise. He was very poised in that huddle," DeMario Douglas added. "Just watching him in that moment, man, some people panic. He was very poised and I'm proud of him."

With a hostile crowd losing their minds, Maye collected himself and his teammates. On the first play, he completed a 14-yard pass to Henry at the 41-yard line. Two plays later, he connected with Romeo Doubs for a 13-yard reception near midfield.

"Just calm, cool and ready to go," Henry said. " It's cool to see him thrive in that scenario."

"Poised, man.," Doubs added. "In moments like that, there's no reason to panic, especially with the ball in our hands."

Adding to the degree of difficulty, the Patriots offense was already playing without top receiver A.J. Brown and starting right guard Michael Onwenu when Mack Hollins suffered a calf injury in the first half. The veteran receiver left the game leading the team in receiving yards with 53.

After scoring 21 points, the Patriots punted in the next three drives with Hollins out. The injury situation forced the Patriots to play young receivers like Chism and Kyle Williams.

Williams noted that Maye's level of confidence in the huddle on the game-winning drive radiated throughout the group.

"A demon," Williams said of Maye. "He just came out there and conducted what he was supposed to do," Williams said. ""His energy was there, so we followed along with it. And when you got somebody that's in that groove, it's hard to stop him. And he was unstoppable."

After connecting with Doubs, Maye completed a 17-yard pass to Chism, setting the Patriots up at the 28-yard line. Three plays later, on third down, Maye threw a perfectly placed 23-yard pass to Chism, who corralled the ball with one arm.

The Bills still had a chance but after a Craig Woodson interception, Maye threw a 12-yard pass to Henry on third-and-10 allowing the Patriots to run out the clock.

"One thing about Drake is he's always composed," right tackle Morgan Moses said. "Nothing gets too big and he never gets too low. When you have a guy like that under center, you're in good hands."

An hour after the game ended, the Patriots were loud inside the visitors locker room. Maye was all smiles. Teammates and coaches stopped by his locker one after another to revel in the upset. It wasn't too long ago people thought this Patriots season might be lost.

Following the win, Mike Vrabel greeted players in the locker room with a simple message: "We're not dead."

"If you listen to the outsiders, it's like a catastrophe. We're burning, everything's terrible," cornerback Carlton Davis said. "But inside this locker room, we always kept the faith and we always knew what we could do."

Davis then pointed to Maye, calling him one of the best quarterbacks in the NFL. With the pressure on, the Patriots quarterback didn't flinch. His teammates soon followed.

"He's very poised. He's very calm, very intentional. I don't think he flinches ever," Campbell said. "I think that's something that helps him so much. He never is up and down, riding the emotional roller coaster of the ups and downs of the game. He's just even-keeled, looking to make the next play."

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