The Patriots need Drake Maye now more than ever

FOXBORO — This is the type of column the Patriots should shield from their franchise quarterback.

Not because Drake Maye cares how I fill this space. Or has ever bothered to find out.

But because the notion that the Patriots’ hopes and dreams rest on his shoulders is dangerous. Even if it’s true.

And as the Pats prepare for another win-and-in game Sunday, it’s never been more true.

The Patriots are limping. A team reckoning with injuries and its limitations on defense and special teams. Maye is their ticket to the postseason run they’ve been chasing ever since he powered that primetime win at Buffalo, sparking the imaginations of a franchise and fan base.

But since then, the Bills have exposed the Patriots’ defense as a sieve, and especially in critical situations. Opponents are converting on 86% of their runs in short-yardage. They’re scoring touchdowns on 75% of their trips inside the red zone, which now might as well be a red carpet. The only time Buffalo relented on six drives inside the 20-yard line last weekend is when it chose mercy by kneeling the clock out.

Sunday in Baltimore may not prove to be much better. The Pats practiced without five defensive starters Wednesday, including two captains and an impact player at every level. One of those captains, Robert Spillane, wore a walking boot in the locker room.

If wrangling Derrick Henry wasn’t hard enough, try creating pressure with a smattering of backups and banged-up starters. Since losing Milton Williams, the Pats have a bottom-10 sack rate. They’ve hit quarterbacks just a dozen times. Christian Barmore has three QB hits over the last two months, and Harold Landry is playing on one good leg.

So, no pass rush and resistance against the run, plus special teams. All of this puts more on Maye. On his mind, shoulders and spirit.

History shows the pressure of carrying a team can crack a young quarterback, particularly a 23-year-old tempted by his own talents under pressure; tempted to force throws, take risks, throw on his cape and fly out of the phone booth, all in efforts to save his team.

But the MVP version of Maye is not a Superman solo act, rather a point guard masquerading as a quarterback. A player mature beyond his years who butchers defenses by alternating deep balls with precise underneath strikes and back-breaking scrambles. Yet last Sunday, Maye threw with scattershot accuracy, sailing incompletions and anxiously scanning a field full of receivers blanketed by tight coverage.

It has always been true the Pats would go as far as Maye could take them. He is the driving force behind their 11-3 start. But around Maye, the Pats are regressing.