"Patriots found their franchise QB?": NFL fans stunned as Drake Maye connects with DeMario Douglas for 53-yard TD

Drake Maye’s 53-yard strike to DeMario Douglas lit up Gillette Stadium on Sunday, putting New England ahead 7-3 in the opening quarter.

It also stirred a wave of reaction from fans on X.

"Have the Patriots found their franchise QB?" one fan wrote.

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"That ball had its own flight path and landing clearance," another fan wrote. "Is Drake Maye already a Top 10 QB in the NFL? Every week, he is making big time plays," a fan said.

More reactions came in.

"DRAAAAAAKE???! DRAAAAAAAAKE??! DRAAAAAAAAKE??! MAY!!" another fan said. "That's a perfectly executed deep ball for a huge gain," one fan commented. "Best QB in the league. I think I'm ready to stamp him as that these other QBs ain't moving me," " a fan tweeted.

On third-and-9 from his team's 36-yard line, Maye faked a play-action to Rhamondre Stevenson and threw a deep ball to Douglas' path. The second-year wide receiver poured on the speed to evade a defender and sprinted into the end zone without anybody laying a hand on him.

New Orleans earned an early three-point advantage with a 35-yard field goal from Blake Grupe following a 53-yard completion on the first play of the game. Joey Borregales added the extra point after Douglas’ touchdown to give the Patriots their first advantage of the day.

The play marked new personal bests for both players. Maye’s previous longest scoring pass was a 40-yard completion to Kayshon Boutte last season against Houston. Douglas surpassed his 42-yard catch from the 2023 campaign against Dallas.

Drake Maye is chasing Tom Brady’s four-game streak from MVP years

Syndication: USA TODAY - Source: Imagn

Drake Maye entered Week 6 having thrown for at least 200 yards with a 70% completion rate in four straight games. It matched the longest such streak in franchise history, set twice by Tom Brady during his 2007 and 2017 MVP seasons.

DeMario Douglas’ first quarter score was his second of the season, adding to a Week 1 touchdown at Las Vegas. Before Sunday, he had just five receptions across the previous four games while spending more time blocking in the Patriots’ evolving offense.

The pair nearly linked up again later in the quarter when Maye found Douglas for a 61-yard touchdown on third-and-2. However, officials cancelled the play due to an offensive pass interference call on Stefon Diggs.

Edited by Victor Ramon Galvez