The New England Patriots secured a dominating 26-19 victory over the New York Jets in the Week 6 game. Patriots quarterback Drake Maye completed 18 passes for 235 yards and scored three touchdowns, and added 24 rushing yards on four carries. Maye might finally have found back his mojo.
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However, the offensive line also has to be credited for making the QB’s job easy. Drake Maye praised his teammates, along with a quick recognition for how his wife has also contributed to it all.
“I gotta bring them some more treats. Shout out Ann Michael,” Maye told the media. “Gotta keep on bringing some more treats.”
“Those guys are doing a heck of a job in there. You know, Coach Doug [Marrone] … I think they’re coaching them hard. They’re expecting a lot in practice and those guys are playing through, you know, injuries. We got three go down today. So, these guys are fighting hard. They’re fighting their b–ts off.
Despite battling roster rotations and injuries, the offensive line didn’t allow the Jets’ defense to sack Maye even once. This was the same team that sacked Cleveland Browns’ Deshaun Watson eight times in the previous week.
The Patriots O-line caused Maye to be sacked three times in each of the first three games, which had his tally up to nine then. But in Weeks four and five, Maye was only sacked once in each game. That number coming down to zero is a big win for the Patriots.
Ann Michael Maye, with 528,000 followers on Instagram, is a popular culinary influencer. She even has her own baking show, Beyond Bakemas on NBC. That’s where she revealed that the Patriots offensive line primarily receives her baked goods. In return, they make sure that her husband stays protected during the heated games.
“Just keep feeding us, we need to protect your husband,” Ann Michael recalled on the show, from one of the thank-you notes she had received from the offensive line. “So we need to keep on the extra weight. If you need a bodyguard, we’ll be your bodyguard.”
The Pats lost three starters on the offensive line and one wide receiver to injuries.
Starting right tackle Morgan Moses suffered an ankle injury. Left guard Alijah Vera-Tucker injured his hamstring. Ben Brown had issues with his knee. The Patriots called in rookie Caleb Lomu for Moses and Matt Pryor for Vera-Tucker. The Patriots had no remaining lineman on the bench at the end of the game.
Their offensive line was as follows, per the Boston Sports Journal: LT Campbell, LG Walter Rouse, C Jared Wilson, RG Matt Pryor and RT Caleb Lomu.
According to Pro Football Focus initial data, Lomu, Pryor, and Rouse allowed zero pressures on the quarterback in 57 pass-blocking snaps.
“That last drive running the football was, I got the best seat in the house, it was beautiful to see,” Drake Maye said. “I think the more we can do that, the more we can just gel together as offense and lean on that.”
Even head coach Mike Vrabel claimed that the new offensive line impressed him.
“We were able to run the football, we were able to protect the quarterback, we were able to really gain some energy and that was impressive, to go that long and get the ball down there,” Vrabel praised the offensive line in the postgame press conference. “I wish we would’ve converted [on the final drive], we didn’t. But those guys were ready for their opportunity. And it was great to see.”
With a battered, makeshift offensive line neutralizing the Jets’ pass rush, the Patriots have found their reliable protective backbone. And they certainly deserve special treats from Ann Michael’s kitchen.