Drake Maye Shines With Five Touchdowns, NFL Fans Rave

WHO:

Heavy NFL - Drake Maye, quarterback for the New England Patriots

Pro Football Network - NFL fans and analysts

WHAT:

Heavy NFL - Drake Maye described his performance as "beautiful to be" and expressed enthusiasm beyond just his statistics.

Pro Football Network - Julian Edelman posted he can't believe how back the Patriots are as Drake Maye threw four TD passes and ran for another in a 45-17 win over the Raiders.

Pro Football Network - Week 5 fantasy football QB rankings feature Josh Allen at No. 1, plus Joe Burrow, Drake Maye, Dak Prescott, and Matthew Stafford.

patriots.com - Drake Maye has back-to-back games with at least 3 touchdown passes, the first Patriots player to do so since Tom Brady in 2018.

patriots.com - RB Rhamondre Stevenson reached 200 career receptions, joining a select group of New England running backs.

patriots.com - LB Elijah Ponder recorded a new career high with 4½ sacks for the year.

patriots.com - WR Efton Chism finished with a career-high 5 receptions for 57 yards.

patriots.com - TE Tanner Arkin was used at fullback during the game against the Raiders.

Heavy NFL - Drake Maye had a total of five touchdowns in the game against the Raiders, consisting of four touchdown passes and one rushing touchdown.

patriots.com - The Patriots offense produced a season-high 536 yards and 29 first downs, surpassing their previous best of 405 yards and 26 first downs against Buffalo.

patriots.com - The Patriots scored 45 points, their highest point total since a 50-10 victory against Jacksonville in 2022.

patriots.com - RB Rhamondre Stevenson reached 30 career rushing touchdowns, joining a select group of Patriots players with that milestone.

patriots.com - WR DeMario Douglas scored two touchdowns in the game, marking his first game with two touchdowns in the 2026 season.

patriots.com - LB Elijah Ponder recorded a new career high with two sacks in the game against the Raiders.

patriots.com - WR Kyle Williams finished with a career-high 91 receiving yards on three receptions.

patriots.com - TE Hunter Henry scored his first touchdown of the 2026 season on an 11-yard pass from Maye.

patriots.com - DL Leonard Taylor III registered his first sack as a member of the Patriots during the game.

patriots.com - WR Efton Chism was credited with his first rushing attempt on a 2-yard run in the third quarter.

patriots.com - The Patriots improved to 2-0 at Gillette Stadium in 2026.

patriots.com - The Patriots snapped a three-game losing streak to the Raiders, having lost to them in 2022, 2023, and 2025.

patriots.com - The Patriots limited the Raiders to just 38 yards rushing, the fewest allowed since holding the L.A. Chargers to 29 yards rushing on December 3, 2023.

patriots.com - Drake Maye's four touchdown passes are the second most of his career, following the five he threw at the New York Jets on December 28, 2025.

patriots.com - RB Rhamondre Stevenson is now tied with Jim Nance for 24th on the team's all-time scoring list with 214 total points.

patriots.com - WR Kyle Williams is the fourth Patriots player to have all of his first four touchdown receptions in the NFL go for 30+ yards.

patriots.com - WR Efton Chism was credited with his first rushing attempt on a 2-yard run in the third quarter.

patriots.com - DL Leonard Taylor III registered his first sack as a member of the Patriots when he sacked QB Kirk Cousins for an 8-yard loss in the fourth quarter.

patriots.com - The Patriots improved to a 3-2 record, marking the second consecutive year they started with a 1-2 record and then improved to 3-2.

patriots.com - The Patriots are the first team to hold the Raiders under 25 points in 2026, as the Raiders entered the game averaging 28.8 points per game.

patriots.com - RB Rhamondre Stevenson is now tied with WR Troy Brown for 24th on the team's all-time scoring list with 214 total points.

patriots.com - WR Kyle Williams scored his fourth career touchdown, all of which have been for at least 30 yards.

patriots.com - LB Elijah Ponder recorded a new career high with two sacks in the game against the Raiders.

patriots.com - The Patriots scored 45 points, their highest point total since a 50-10 victory against Jacksonville on January 2, 2022.

patriots.com - The Patriots offense produced a season-high 536 yards and 29 first downs, the most since a 551-yard performance against the New York Jets on October 24, 2021.

patriots.com - Drake Maye finished the game with 374 yards, marking his second career 300-yard game.

patriots.com - Maye's passer rating was 150.9, his third game with a rating of 150 or better.

patriots.com - RB Rhamondre Stevenson scored his 30th career rushing touchdown, joining a select group of Patriots players with 30 career rushing touchdowns.

patriots.com - WR DeMario Douglas scored his first touchdown of the 2026 season, finishing with two touchdowns in the game.

patriots.com - TE Hunter Henry scored his first touchdown of the 2026 season on an 11-yard pass from Maye.

patriots.com - WR Kyle Williams finished with a career-high 91 receiving yards on three receptions.

patriots.com - LB Elijah Ponder recorded at least a half-sack in four straight games.

patriots.com - DL Leonard Taylor III registered his first sack as a member of the Patriots.

Heavy NFL - Drake Maye had a touchdown pass to wide receiver Demario Douglas during the game against the Las Vegas Raiders.

Heavy NFL - Maye described his performance as "beautiful to be" and expressed enthusiasm beyond just his statistics.

Heavy NFL - Drake Maye threw four touchdown passes and scored one rushing touchdown, totaling five touchdowns in a single game.

Pro Football Network - The NFL world reacted positively to Maye's performance, describing it as "an insane game" and noting that he looked like "a completely different QB."

WHERE:

Heavy NFL - The game took place in New England, where the Patriots are based.

WHY:

Boston.com - Drake Maye felt he could "eat a ham sandwich" during the blowout win over the Raiders, indicating confidence in his offensive line's protection.

Boston.com - Teammates of Drake Maye expressed that they were not surprised by his resurgence, stating, "Anybody could have been down on themselves. Not him. He came to work."

Pro Football Network - The NFL world believes that Maye has found his footing after a recent slump, indicating a turnaround in his performance.

Heavy NFL - Maye expressed that his performance was "beautiful," indicating a sense of pride and satisfaction with his play.

HOW:

patriots.com - TE Tanner Arkin was used at fullback during the game against the Raiders.

Heavy NFL - Maye's performance was characterized by a combination of effective passing and rushing, showcasing his skills as a quarterback.

Drake Maye had an impressive performance, throwing four touchdown passes and running for another, leading the Patriots to a commanding 45-17 victory over the Raiders, which he described as "beautiful to be." Julian Edelman expressed his disbelief at how strong the Patriots have returned, while Maye felt so confident during the game that he joked he could "eat a ham sandwich" thanks to his offensive line's protection. In the latest fantasy football QB rankings for Week 5, Maye is listed among the top quarterbacks, joining Josh Allen, Joe Burrow, Dak Prescott, and Matthew Stafford.