Quarterback Drake Maye delivered a performance New England Patriots fans won’t forget in a long time. Under the bright lights of MetLife Stadium, he punched in a career-high five touchdowns, but that doesn’t even come close to the history he made. After their 42-10 blowout win over the New York Jets, the 23-year-old quarterback placed his name above legendary Tom Brady in a historic feat that only a handful of quarterbacks have achieved so far. 

“Drake Maye recorded a 99.8 QBR today,” ESPN‘s NFL analyst Seth Walder reported on X. “That’s the highest QBR game in the metric’s history, back to 2006.”

The 99.8 QBR rating Maye recorded during the Week 17 game pushed him past Brady’s previous Patriots record of 99.7. The NFL legend set the record in October 2007 when the Patriots secured a 49-28 win against the Miami Dolphins. That day, Brady surged like a beast, throwing for a whopping 354 yards and six touchdowns without an interception. Now, another Patriots star has arrived to set the bar a tad higher. 

Before we dive in further, here’s a brief explanation of the QBR rating, which comes on a scale of 100. It’s a metric for evaluating a quarterback’s performance by factoring in passing, rushing, fumbles, penalties, and high-leverage situations such as down, distance, and quality of the opponent. It presents a bigger picture while analyzing and comparing their performances. 

Talking about Maye, his rise feels like the start of something special. Delivering statements week after week has become a new normal for him. Just last week against the Baltimore Ravens, he set a career high with 380 passing yards. This time, he produced his best touchdown output, but that’s not all.

In the Week 17 win, the North Carolina graduate completed 19 of 21 passes (90.47%) for 256 yards and five touchdowns. With this, he became the first quarterback in NFL history to complete at least 90 percent of his passes while throwing for at least 250 yards and five scores in a single game.

He also breached 4,000 passing yards on the season, becoming the third Patriot after Brady and Drew Bledsoe. With 4,203 yards, 30 touchdowns, and just eight interceptions, Maye is having a full-blown historic run. 

Drake Maye enters the elite QBR category

Drake Maye’s spectacular QBR night puts him in rare company. Only a few quarterbacks have climbed as high as 99.8 on ESPN’s scale so far. The former Cincinnati Bengals QB Carson Palmer was the first to shatter Brady’s record. He did it back in October 2009 while dismantling the Chicago Bears’ defense. In the meantime, the Ravens’ offensive leader, Lamar Jackson, has reached that elite QBR territory thrice. Here’s a list of ESPN’s top 20 QBR ratings since 2006.  

What really stands out is the fact that the Pittsburgh Steelers star, Aaron Rodgers, sits way lower with a 99.4 QBR, behind names like Steve McNair, Michael Vick, and even C.J. Stroud. Another shocking part? Kansas City Chiefs icon Patrick Mahomes didn’t even make the list. Now, it looks unlikely for anybody other than Maye to challenge the current benchmark anytime soon.

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With age catching up, Rodgers hasn’t exploded this season, while Lamar Jackson is out with a back injury. Meanwhile, the timing couldn’t be better for the Patriots’ quarterback. They had already booked a playoff berth, but then came some more promising developments. With a win over the Jets and the Buffalo Bills’ Week 17 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles, Mike Vrabel’s team has sealed the AFC East.

There’s no denying that New England is peaking. With more meaningful games ahead, Drake Maye now has both the stage and the opportunity to chase history again. He may end up breaking his own records or setting entirely new ones.