Drake Maye had his first career duel against the quarterback with whom he has drawn comparisons throughout his rookie season: Buffalo Bills star Josh Allen. The New England Patriots quarterback showed similar qualities and improved despite the coldest weather he has ever played in.

Maye’s efficient first half allowed the Patriots to emerge with momentum from Sunday afternoon’s game against the AFC East champions. Unfortunately for New England, the team couldn’t finish with that momentum in a 24-21 loss at Highmark Stadium.

Maye went 22 of 36 through the air for 260 yards with two touchdowns and one interception.

Here’s the full report on Maye’s Week 16 performance with the Patriots.

POSITIVE
Shooting game conversion
Maye got the Patriots rolling on the first drive when he hit wideout Kayson Boutte for a 28-yard touchdown.

The throw came on a rope along the right sideline to a perfect ball that Maye dropped just over Buffalo defenseman Kaiir Elam. The throw was eerily similar to Maye’s first career touchdown pass, which coincidentally went to Boutte in Week 6 at Gillette Stadium against the Houston Texans.

Efficiency in the first half of the year
The Patriots made a big impression, especially in the third period, by keeping the ball strong in the first half. A week after failing to score a single third-down conversion point in a disastrous loss to the Arizona Cardinals, Maye pushed the Patriots’ offense to 5-8 in the first half. New England even converted a fourth attempt with a fake punt while Dell Pettus was on the run.

Clock management
The Patriots knew keeping the ball out of Allen’s hands would be an early key to victory and an overall competitive performance on Sunday. Maye kept the offense on schedule and held the ball most of the afternoon.

New England scored 17 first downs in 20 minutes of possession in the first half.

Lightning management
Buffalo increased the pressure on several series in hopes of getting Maye out of the game. Instead. The rookie remained as cool as the playing air in Western New York. He beat a five-man rush for the Boutte touchdown and found the second-year wideout again for a 32-yard gain on a crucial drive in the third quarter.

The Bills rallied strongly in the fourth quarter, forcing Maye to make several ejections, while the Patriots sought a double-digit deficit.

NEGATIVE
Sales volumeS

For the seventh straight game, the rookie passer threw a frustrating interception. There are actually only a few consistent areas in which to criticize Maye, but this is certainly the one that stands out.

After the aforementioned big gain for Boutte, some traffic caused Maye to leave a ball flat in the end zone intended for Austin Hooper. Buffalo defensive back Cam Lewis came off the field to intercept the ball and give the Bills the lead with a field goal late in the third quarter.

According to the CBS broadcast, Drake’s seven-game run with an interception is the longest active streak in the NFL.

Maye also rolled a return pass to Rhamondre Stevenson into the end zone, which Buffalo used for a touchdown in the fourth quarter.

DEGREE: B+
Maye had a strong first half that matched a game plan worthy of beating the Bills. Unfortunately, the Patriots committed several turnovers in the second half while the defense failed to stop James Cook’s running game.

Maye was involved in two of those turnovers, adding to his rare major issue that still needs a lot of work.