Patriots - 33, Dolphins - 27
Q. How big was that one for you?
DRAKE MAYE: It feels good. It took everybody. That's the biggest thing. It took everybody -- special teams, offense, defense, trainers. Everybody helped us out. That felt good, and I'm proud of our guys for sticking with it.
So many ebbs and flows of the game. Just proud of the guys. That one feels good.
Q. From your perspective, coming off the week you had, how proud are you individually of this performance today?
DRAKE MAYE: Shoot, I'm proud of this team, these guys around me. My job is to try to get them the football on these scoring drives, and defense played their butts off. Just proud of the guys around me. Great team win.
Q. What was your vantage point on Antonio's kick return?
DRAKE MAYE: I was right there actually. I was right there watching him. I saw him kind of cut it around the edge, and the kicker didn't know where he was at. He just kept turning, and I knew he wasn't catching it then. What a play.
Like I said, they made a play on special teams, we make a play. That's this league. It's close games, and you've got to come out in one-score games. You've got to come out on top. That was awesome.
Q. What did you see when you guys come off during the punt return? You guys come off the field just before the kickoff return. Were you guys huddling, looking over your shoulder, not knowing what's going to happen next with the kickoff return?
DRAKE MAYE: Yeah, we were over on the sideline getting juiced up ready to go, knowing we got to drive and then go score. Be thankful -- I knew they kept kicking it to him. If they keep kicking it to him, he's going to take one back eventually. So it was cool to watch.
Q. Tre found the wheel route to Rhamondre. What did you see on that play?
DRAKE MAYE: Yeah, just trusting him. We throw those kind of routes all the time in practice. We work on them. I've thrown them to him after practice, working on them, catching them over the shoulder. I thought I overthrew it at first, and he made a great play. He scored on it.
I thought all three backs made a big impact today. Those guys up front blocked hard.
Q. About running less sideways and getting upfield more, were you happy with your performance on the ground today?
DRAKE MAYE: Yeah, just trying to keep the defense honest. They play a lot of zone and match some routes. Just trying to keep them honest. Those guys up front did a great job of making lanes and cutting down rush lanes. Like I said, just trying to get what I can.
Q. What does it mean to you coming off a loss last week and dealing with all the lead changes for your team to continue pushing and obviously come out with a win in a hard place to play.
DRAKE MAYE: We were preaching all week start fast. We did that, and we knew they could respond, and they responded well. We've got to come out of the half better. We had a three and out. Got to keep the drives going in the first half, get a first down, and once we do that, we're pretty tough to stop.
That's our mindset. Like I said, just enjoy this win and get back after next week.
Q. You seem a lot more confident and comfortable. Do you feel that way on the field?
DRAKE MAYE: That's how I try to approach it every week. I try to approach it like that every week. Just try to stay calm and cool in the huddle. Those guys respond to me and I fire them up. I feel like that's my mindset every week. It's my job.
Q. Talk about being more efficient passing the ball and executing in the red zone, two areas you guys were good today. Is there a reason why? Adjusted play calls?
DRAKE MAYE: You usually get what you emphasize, and these guys really helped contribute to that. Score touchdowns in the red zone. I think we came up short one time, but other than that, we thought we did good down there. Kept doing positive plays, and we think we can do better. Keep on the positive plays and keep stacking those, and good things will happen.
Q. Mike Vrabel's first win as Patriots coach. I'm curious how you would describe what the atmosphere was like in the locker room?
DRAKE MAYE: It was awesome. Tells you about coach, how much he cares about us, what a players coach he is. I took the football that took the lead there, gave the ball to our equipment guy and let Coach get that ball. I think it meant a lot to him. It took everybody, but obviously he's leading the charge. That meant something special.
Q. Do you think your team knows how big of a win this is? You guys haven't won since 2019. I know you weren't here, but do you think they get it?
DRAKE MAYE: I think we're just trying to get in the win column. All the stuff about the past and all the records, we haven't won down here since this. We're just trying to come down here and do our part and worry about this week and this season and get back out there next week.
Q. You talked a lot about the first quarters and being a little amped up, rushing was the word you used. Any difference in the approach, aside from the execution was good, those two drives were accurate and you scored touchdowns?
DRAKE MAYE: Yeah, just stayed cool and calm. I was feeling good. Feeling good in warmups. Kind of down here in this humidity is what I grew up throwing in. North Carolina, the ball feels good, spinning it well. From there, trying to get the guys quick completions, trying to let the guys up front get used to the flow of the game.
Yeah, like I said, I think that was a one time thing in Minnesota. I was playing with my best friend Sam Howell, so whatever.
Q. How does a win like this help fuel team culture?
DRAKE MAYE: It's proof of what the work you put in can result in. It's proof of why you work so hard, why you have extra meetings, why you get treatment on time, why you do the little things. You've got proof now of good turnout, and come up in the win column. I think that's why and proud of these guys.
FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports