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Want an argument for why Drake Maye is the most impressive quarterback in football this season? The New England Patriots quarterback is at or near the top of NFL leaderboards in several categories, including completion percentage (first), passing yards (fifth), passer rating (second), touchdown passes (tied for fourth) and yards per completion (tied for second). And he's doing it all despite having one of the worst running games in football, as the Patriots rank 27th in the NFL in EPA per rush and 25th in yards per carry (3.9). So, how is Maye continuing to dice up defenses through the air, and why aren't opposing teams loading up to stop New England's passing attack? As Shawn Syed of the sports analytics company SumerSports explained to Phil Perry on a new episode of the Next Pats Podcast, the answer lies in the schemes cooked up by Patriots offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels. "I think (McDaniels) has hit an absolute home run. He is at Offensive Coordinator of the Year-type levels in what he is doing to defenses," Syed said. "He is presenting looks with two tight ends, with two running backs. You're getting all of these different looks to force defenses to take a defensive back off the field, to try to play you with a little bit heavier bodies up front. That's opening up a ton of space for Drake Maye off play-action to make those nice throws going over the middle." According to SumerSports, New England has used 21 personnel (two running backs, one tight end and two wide receivers on the field) more than all but two teams in the NFL, and has deployed 12 personnel (one running back, two tight ends and two wide receivers) on about 30 percent of its snaps, which ranks 12th in the the league. That combination makes McDaniels one of the NFL's most re As Syed explained, the mere presence of a "heavy" formation forces defenses to respond by bringing "heavier" personnel onto the field (i.e. replacing a safety with a linebacker), which can create mismatches for a talented QB like Maye -- even if his offense doesn't have an effective run game. MORE PATRIOTS COVERAGE "Just the presence on the field of a second tight end or that second running back, that fullback-type of player ... if the offense lines up heavy, the defense says, 'OK, they're probably going to run the ball. We need to make sure we get that extra linebacker. Let's take a defensive back off the field,'" Syed said. "And when you have less pass-defending bodies, you're going to be able to throw on teams a little bit easier." That may seem like an obvious offensive strategy, but as Syed pointed out, most NFL teams still lean heavily on 11 personnel sets (one running back, one tight end and three wide receivers) and are less effective at keeping defenses on their toes with run vs. pass looks. "As an offensive coordinator, (McDaniels is) presenting the defense with enough make them take the bait, and now he has a superstar quarterback that can throw that ball right over the defense. ... It feels like a cheat code for the Patriots." Also in this episode:
