“When we give Drake time, good things happen” – A look at the Patriots’ crazy game-winning play

With time running out, Onwenu and the rest of the offensive line held up their end of the bargain, and a prayer from Drake Maye — for a wild play that lasted nearly 12 full seconds from start to finish — was answered Sunday when Rhamondre Stevenson arrived a floater to tie the game on the last play of regulation.

And while New England ultimately suffered a 20-17 overtime loss to the Titans, the game-winning drive at the end of regulation time and the touchdown pass with no time left reinforced the growing aura around the rookie quarterback.

“Gave us the chance to win the game,” coach Jerod Mayo said of Maye afterwards. “Obviously we just couldn’t do it.”

After seeing limited action last week while working through concussion protocol, Maye completed 29 of 41 passes for 206 yards, one touchdown and two interceptions.

“When we give Drake time,” offensive lineman Vederian Lowe explained, “good things happen.”

Aesthetically, it wasn't much of a game for the Patriots through the first 58 minutes. Maye turned the ball over twice (one fumble, one interception), New England couldn't find a footing on the ground (the running backs finished the game with 15 rushing yards), and the defense was ripped apart by the Tennessee ground game for 167 rushing yards (and 4.3 yards per carry).

But late in the fourth quarter, Maye and the Patriots were down 17-10, had maneuvered downfield and were sitting at the Titans' 5-yard line with four seconds left.

As Maye approached the line, he had Kendrick Bourne, Hunter Henry and Stevenson in a group on the right side while Austin Hooper and Kayshon Boutte were on the left side.

“They toned it down and doubled up the inside players,” Maye explained after the game. “We had a pile concept (right).”

“Four seconds left in the game. The game is on the line,” Boutte said. “Someone has to make a play.”

Maye took the shotgun shot from Ben Brown and looked right to Bourne and Stevenson, who were covered at the goal line. There is no sure thing there. He looked back to his left and saw Boutte, who was immediately doubled and taken out of the game.

As the clock struck zero, the Tennessee rush began to get closer. He moved left and shook Titans fullback Arden Key with a juke that bought him a few more seconds. At the same time, he almost caused a collision with Lowe.

“To be honest, I didn’t even know he still had the ball,” Lowe said. “I turned around and he was about to run past me.”

“Just keep the piece alive. Make a play,” Maye said of his mindset. “I do what I can.”

Maye then saw Tennessee safeties Amani Hooker and Mike Brown approaching, a duo that appeared to have abandoned their duties in the end zone and racing toward him.

When they reached it, Maye was at the 13-yard line. They got their hands on him, but it was too late. He threw the ball toward Stevenson, who had broken free from Tennessee defensive back Darrell Baker Jr. in the back corner of the end zone.

Stevenson made the catch and rolled over while Baker briefly tried to wrestle the ball away, arguing that the ball hit the ground. No dice. Touchdown, Patriots.

“Given the way things turned out, it felt surreal to see Rhamondre catch like that,” Onwenu said.

Four seconds were missing during the game, but overall the whole thing lasted 11.82 seconds from start to finish.

“That’s Drake,” cornerback Christian Gonzalez said with a shrug. “I mean, no one was surprised. Honestly, Drake does stuff like that all the time. He fought and did what he could.”

“Believe the guys up front. The five in front because they fought their butts off,” Maye said. “Twelve seconds. That’s impressive.”

“That was a great piece. What (Maye) did was tough,” wide receiver DeMario Douglas said. “Thanks to Rhamondre for catching that pass. Kudos to the O-line for not getting a penalty and then giving him extra time.”

It was a tough afternoon for Stevenson and the running game. A week after it became apparent that the ground attack was trending in the right direction, the Patriots were struggling to get out of neutral. While Maye ran for 95 yards, the backs only managed 15 rushing yards. But the chance to make a significant contribution to the game was something he welcomed.

“It was a super long play,” Stevenson said. “I just kept working – I had a DB with me and I just kept trying to work it and open it. He got me the ball.”

In the end, the Patriots' loss fell to 2-7 and denied them the chance to win two games in a row for the first time in about two years. But in a quiet dressing room after the game, the dramatic recovery at the end of regular time sparked optimism for the future.

“It showed our promise,” Onwenu said of the goal. “We have good players. As long as we play well, we will be a good team.”

“It hurt to lose. It really is,” Douglas said. “But you can learn a lot from it. We have this fight. It was just the last bit that mattered. I greet the team. I congratulate the team for not giving up.”

Maye's 95 rushing yards were the most in a game for a Patriots quarterback since Steve Grogan rushed for 103 yards in a 41-7 victory over the Jets on October 18, 1976. It was the third most in a game for a Patriots quarterback – Babe Parilli had 96 rushing yards in a game against Houston in 1964. . . Jahlani Tavai had a great interception in the first half, fending off Tennessee's Mason Rudolph in the end zone with a ball he had up the middle. It was his first takeaway of the season and the fourth of his career. . . While the normally sure-footed Bryce Baringer extended his streak of 50-yard punts to a league-leading 26 plays with a 60-yarder in the fourth quarter, he also delivered a 15-yarder at the end of the first quarter. It was his shortest punt of the season. . . With Tuesday's trade deadline approaching, the Patriots suffered two interesting scratches at receiver in veteran KJ Osborn and youngster Tyquan Thornton. Thornton was hampered by an ankle problem this week, but Osborn was a healthy inactive. Both made the trip to Tennessee. Safety Kyle Dugger and defensive lineman Eric Johnson were also inactive, while rookie Joe Milton III was the emergency quarterback. . . The “American Idol” crew of Lionel Richie, Luke Bryan, Carrie Underwood and Ryan Seacrest were at the game as part of a promotional event for the new season.

Christopher Price can be reached at [email protected]. Follow him @cpriceglobe.