A mic’d up clip the NFL released after Super Bowl 60 may have revealed why New England Patriots quarterback Drake Maye struggled so much in the big game.
The clip features mic’d up Seattle Seahawks safety Julian Love telling his teammates that he figured out a tell Maye has when dropping back to pass. The second-year quarterback appeared to be giving away his intention for where he wanted to throw the ball when he reached the top of his dropback.
‘Classic young quarterback,’ Love says in the clip. ‘As soon as that back foot hits, he’s going to where he wants, but he’s pausing for a second to confirm that he’s open.’
Later on in the game, Love took advantage of his intel and intercepted Maye on a downfield pass attempt. He returned his interception 35 yards and back into Patriots’ territory. It led to another Seahawks field goal to extend their fourth-quarter lead.
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Love was not the only Seahawks defender who sniffed out the tells from the AFC-champion Patriots in Super Bowl 60. Cornerback Devon Witherspoon told SiriusXM NFL Radio after the game that Seattle’s defense also figured out some tells from New England’s offensive linemen.
‘We had a tell on their guards and their tackles, how they like to set,’ Witherspoon said. ‘They’re gonna overset on certain rushes, and they’re gonna fall for certain moves.’
Witherspoon recorded a sack and three quarterback hits in the Super Bowl, and the Seahawks’ defense was credited with 28 pressures by Next Gen Stats – the most Maye had ever faced in his career. Rookie left tackle Will Campbell allowed 14 of those pressures – the most by any player in a single game (regular season or postseason) this year.
As Seattle’s pass-rush consistently beat the Patriots’ linemen while the Seahawks’ secondary had a tell on Maye, the young quarterback struggled for most of the game.
Maye finished the Super Bowl with a 62.8% completion rate, 295 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions. Prior to the fourth quarter, Seattle’s defense held him to a 44.4% completion rate and 60 passing yards.
The Patriots’ second-year quarterback’s struggles for most of the game earned him a 30.0 grade on Pro Football Focus (PFF), the lowest in any game of his career.