It took a little patience, but it finally feels like things are clicking for Patriots quarterback Drake Maye. The team’s 3-2 start, their best since the Tom Brady era, has turned heads across the league. Even Patriots legend Drew Bledsoe has taken notice. And he believes this young quarterback has the team on the verge of something big, maybe even a playoff chase.

Just like he did with Jaxson Dart, Bledsoe had a message for the new kid in town: stay sharp and keep your focus. “Hopefully they can take that win and catapult themselves to, you know, to maybe who knows maybe even a playoff run,” Bledsoe said on the Up & Adams Show. “I thought it was maybe going to be still a year or two away for the Pats, but they’re looking like they’re a playoff team now.”

And the next few games are favorable for the Pats. They’ll face the New Orleans Saints in Week 6, then the Tennessee Titans in Week 7. Both teams are struggling, averaging under 19 points per game combined and managing just two wins total this season. So, if Maye and the Pats handle business, they could easily build on their momentum. If they pull that off, the math starts to get exciting.

A 5-2 record heading into Week 8 would put them right in the playoff mix. For a franchise that hasn’t won a postseason game since Brady’s final Super Bowl run in 2018, that would be huge. And to think, before the season started, New England had the 17th-longest Super Bowl odds in the league. Things change fast in this game.

Still, with all that excitement comes pressure. Because now, Maye finds himself compared to his childhood hero Brady, the ultimate bar for any Patriot quarterback.

Drake Maye got the Tom Brady comparison

While the Tom Brady comparisons might sound premature, Drake Maye’s early run in Foxborough has everyone talking. Ty Law, Chris Hogan, and now David Andrews have all stepped up to praise the QB’s poise. But Andrews didn’t just hand out compliments; he dropped a bold statement.

“I think what I’m trying to say is, hopefully now these pass-catchers are seeing what Drake’s doing, and you’re going to see the Tom Brady type of effect where people are like, ‘OK, I could go to so-and-so (team) for this and come to the Patriots for this. I’m not just going to take that offer,” Andrews said.

Let’s look at Andrews’ statement stat-wise. Maye has completed 18 games, and these games mirror Brady’s early career pace almost eerily. Brady had 3,412 yards, 23 touchdowns, and 13 picks through his first 18 starts. And Maye has 3,527 yards, 22 touchdowns, and 12 interceptions. Sure, it’s still early, but the similarities are hard to ignore.

And Maye’s completing nearly 69 percent of his throws, better than Brady’s 64.5 percent over the same stretch. If he keeps this up, Foxborough might just be witnessing the rise of its next franchise cornerstone.