Detroit Lions head coach Dan Campbell says his defense cannot focus solely on New England Patriots quarterback Drake Maye’s league-high 11 interceptions this season. Instead, the Lions need to limit the big plays Maye can make when he extends a play and throws downfield.
“I would tell you what I look at more than that,” Campbell said of Maye’s interceptions. “With Drake Maye, it’s his explosive passes.”
Campbell warned that Maye can produce 40- and 50-yard touchdowns when given time. “You give him more than 4 seconds. He is dangerous. He is absolutely deadly outside the pocket. That’s what I’m concerned about,” he said.
Maye holds the ball longer than any other quarterback in the league: 28.3% of his dropbacks result in a pass released at least 2.5 seconds after the snap. By comparison, Jordan Love leads the NFL with a 57.7% rate of passes released in under 2.5 seconds.
## Drake Maye Presents a Challenge for the Lions’ Defense
Maye’s numbers vary depending on how quickly he throws. When he releases the ball in under 2.5 seconds, he completes 79% of his passes, with a 3.3% big-time throw rate and a 1.1% turnover-worthy throw rate. His average is 6.2 yards per attempt in those situations.
When Maye holds the ball for 2.5 seconds or longer, his completion rate falls to 59%, but his big-time throw rate rises to 8.8%. His turnover-worthy throw rate also increases to 5.3%, while his yards per attempt climbs to 9.5. He has thrown nine interceptions on these longer-developing plays, compared with two when getting the ball out quickly.
Campbell said the Lions will try to take advantage of any opportunities to force turnovers, but their main priority is limiting Maye’s time with the ball. He also highlighted Maye’s ability to scramble and create plays outside the pocket.
“The interceptions, yeah, we got to find a way to get those,” Campbell said. “If we get an opportunity, but more importantly, how do we limit his time with the football in his hand? He is dangerous, and he’s a very good runner out of the pocket as a scramble quarterback. That’s our challenge with him.”
