The New England Patriots withstood a fierce blizzard and the Denver Broncos to prevail Sunday. This time their 12th Super Bowl appearance is without Bill Belichick, Rob Gronkowski or Tom Brady. Drake Maye is now leading this new N.E. contender — even breaking a Brady playoff record too.
What mark did Maye shatter in the white-covered field? His NFL playoffs rushing yards mark — which he hit in his first three postseason games.
Drake Maye passes Tom Brady for the most playoff rushing yards by a QB in @Patriots history
Brady played 41 playoff games for New England… This is Maye’s 3rd #NEPats pic.twitter.com/f9vWDnWNfs
— NFL+ (@NFLPlus) January 25, 2026
Maye needed to turn to his legs as the snow piled onto Empower Field at Mile High. Especially during a crucial sequence that sealed New England’s return to the big game.
Drake Maye wills Patriots to win off major scramble
Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images
The second-year quarterback beat one defense after another through his arm. He tallied 4,394 passing yards with 31 touchdowns during the regular season.
But throwing became a struggle in these conditions. Offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels needed to turn to another trait Maye possessed: His legs.
Maye fooled a stout Broncos run defense in faking this handoff then executing the naked bootleg — sealing the victory.
DRAKE MAYE SCRAMBLES FOR THE FIRST DOWN
The Patriots are going to the Super Bowl
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) January 25, 2026
Maye threw for only 86 yards in the late winter wonderland. But he emerged as a force in the ground game — gaining 65 yards on 10 carries and averaging 6.5 yards a carry.
He’s immediately shown to have stronger mobility than the legend he needed to replace. His veins were just as cold as the Rocky Mountain conditions in leading N.E.
Maye needed to overcome offensive inconsistency and captain Robert Spillane briefly going down to lead the Pats. He’s rewritten a past playoff mark held by the revered Brady. Except now Maye becomes the first QB to lead the Patriots back to the Super Bowl after Brady.
The post Drake Maye is already breaking Tom Brady playoff records while making first Super Bowl appeared first on ClutchPoints.
