It's tough to find many quarterbacks playing better football than Drake Maye right now, as he ranks fourth in EPA/play and third in yards per attempt. The Patriots are 5-2 to start the year and are winners of their last four over the Panthers, Bills, Saints, and Titans, largely thanks to the strong play from Maye.
Not only has the second-year signal caller thrived as a thrower, but he also ranks sixth in rushing yards among quarterbacks so far this year, and third in scramble rate. Maye constantly utilizes his legs, and the Browns will have to limit him in that area if they want to come out of Foxborough with a victory.
Browns have to limit Drake Maye's legs to win Week 8 vs Patriots
In their most recent game versus Tennessee, there were numerous times where it looked like Maye was going to his first read, seeing it wasn't there, and taking off to run immediately without moving forward in the progression. He did have reps where he hung in the pocket to deliver a great throw, but he seemed a bit quick to abandon the pocket and use his legs.
On top of his seemingly quick trigger to use his legs as a runner, a chunk of Maye's best throws on tape come from him using his legs to escape the pocket and making tough throws off platform. The Browns are no strangers to defending quarterbacks who can dominate with their legs, as they usually see Lamar Jackson twice a season.
THIS ANGLE OF DRAKE MAYE'S THROW 😍
— Sunday Night Football on NBC (@SNFonNBC) October 6, 2025
What a DIME to Diggs. pic.twitter.com/tuKXVIG0Jf
It's impossible to ask defenders to stay with their man for extended periods of time, so the Browns are going to need to show great rush lane integrity to keep Maye in the pocket and force him to get through his progressions. Maye is playing great football and can beat you in basically any way, but a good amount of his explosives come from scrambles or out-of-structure plays where he extends with his legs.
The Browns need to make Maye live in the pocket and beat them with strings of short to intermediate throws down the field. Taking away his first read and maintaining rushing lanes are the two biggest ways Cleveland can achieve this to put the onus on the offense to finish the job.