Drake Maye did it. The second-year quarterback led the New England Patriots back to the AFC Championship Game after a six-year drought. The last time the team reached this stage? The 2018 season, under the legendary Tom Brady.
The Patriots displayed their dominance on both offense and defense to defeat the Houston Texans 28-16 in the AFC Divisional Round.
Just as the defense forced five turnovers from Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud, Maye systematically dismantled the visiting defense, though he wasn’t without his own mistakes.
In the end, under difficult weather conditions, Maye completed 16 of 27 passes for 179 yards, three touchdowns, and one interception, reminiscent of Tom Brady’s prime.
THE TORCH HAS BEEN PASSED
Drake Maye leads the Patriots to the AFC Championship for the first time since Tom Brady pic.twitter.com/blR0LCwHeU
? ESPN (@espn) January 18, 2026
Maye is shaping up to be a worthy successor to Brady
After a shaky start, the Patriots swept aside their opponents, winning 10 consecutive games starting in Week 3. The team finished the season with a 14-3 record, clinching the AFC East title and securing the second seed in the AFC.
In that 2018 season, Brady’s last Super Bowl with the team, New England finished with an 11-5 record, won the division title, and went on to defeat the Rams in Super Bowl LIII.
Maye also holds his own in the numerical comparison, completing 354 of 492 pass attempts for 4,394 yards, 31 touchdowns, and eight interceptions. In 2018, Brady completed 375 of 570 passes for 4,355 yards, 29 touchdowns, and 11 interceptions.
Now, the only thing left for the young Patriots signal-caller to earn his own place in history is to win the Super Bowl. However, the mission will not be easy.
Drake Maye is actually the reincarnation of Tom Brady pic.twitter.com/XWbiWNcfm2
? Harmz2k (@Harmz2kk) January 12, 2026
Maye will face a crippled Broncos team
The victory over Houston gave New England a ticket to Denver, where they will face a Broncos team that paid dearly for their 33-30 overtime win over the Buffalo Bills.
Broncos quarterback Bo Nix fractured his ankle near the end of the game against the Bills. The injury will keep Nix out of the game against Maye’s Pats.
Now, all Maye and head coach Mike Vrabel have to do is take advantage of the circumstances to reach the Super Bowl and write their names next to Brady’s in Pats history.
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