FOXBOROUGH – Drake Maye has experienced a prime time game. But not as a starter.
That changes in Buffalo Sunday night when the Patriots travel to Highmark Stadium to take on the AFC East-leading Buffalo Bills.
“It’s always a little extra juice playing prime-time. Everybody’s watching,” Maye said Wednesday. “We’re playing a division opponent … that’s where we want to go, where we want to be at.
“The Bills have been the past couple of years contenders. Winning the division, playing well at home. (Coach Mike Vrabel) said they’ve won 14 straight at home. So it’s a tough environment. And like I said, they’re a great football team with some great players. So we’ll have our hands full. But I think we’re excited to be on prime time. You’re waiting the whole day for the game under the lights, so it’ll be pretty sweet.”
The Bills, at 4-0, are one of the few remaining unbeaten teams in the NFL.
Vrabel has been saying all week the game will be a good barometer for where the Patriots (2-2) stand with Maye squaring off against Josh Allen.
“It’s a great gauge for us … like (Vrabel) said, see what we got,” Maye said. “See what we got competing on the road in a tough environment and one of the first times we’re doing that as a team.
“Playing four quarters of football, that’s going to matter. Playing on the road. Four quarters matters. You can’t play a half. You can’t just show up at the beginning and not the end. We’re playing four quarters, in a hostile environment, bringing our own energy … and not taking it as an end-all, be-all for this week. We have a long season ahead. But this is a great checkpoint to see what we got.”