Miami Dolphins fans are preparing for a long 2026 season. There are no sugar plums dancing in our heads and no high expectations. We have been down this road before, far too many times to count over the last two decades.
During seasons like this, Dolphins fans have relished the misfortunes of what our AFC East rivals do. The Jets will always find a way to be the J.E.T.S Jets, Jets, Jets, and the Bills will inevitably drop out of the playoffs early. Then there are the Patriots, who once again landed in a Super Bowl they cakewalked to.
The NFL released the last of its top 100 players outside of the top 10. The NFL players handed it to Drake Maye. Most Dolphins fans will tell you it's an inflated ranking for a quarterback who is overrated.
Miami Dolphins fans will soon see if Drake Maye is as good as everyone thinks he is
Sorry, Patriots fans, but I don't see it. I love tough competition in the AFC East. It makes the Dolphins strive to be better. No one wants to root for a team in the NFC South where all four teams finished below .500 last season. The AFC East used to be the best of the AFC; now it's a Bills/Patriots showdown.
I'm not the only one who sees this. On FanSided.com, Maye was ranked as the 5th-most overrated quarterback heading into the 2026 season. In a vote that spanned every NFL Division site expert, Maye received 9 total votes and 2 first-place votes.
"Maye was pretty dreadful in the Super Bowl and wasn't lighting the world on fire prior to that," Fansided's Jason Reed said of Maye.
Dolphins fans are hanging their hopes of change on Jeff Hafley and Jon-Eric Sullivan, but it's hard to look at New England without a degree of disgust. After decades of Tom Brady, the last thing Miami fans want is for another top QB behind center up there in the north.
Maye led the Patriots to the Super Bowl. There are a lot of fans and media alike who will point to the weak regular season schedule and the lack of quality QBs they faced in the playoffs. Is Maye truly bordering on becoming an elite NFL QB? Is his 11th ranking in the top 100 too high?
Maye started his NFL breakout campaign against the Raiders, Dolphins, Steelers, and Panthers. The Patriots lost to the Raiders in Week 1 and the Steelers in Week 3. Of those four, only the Panthers and Steelers made the playoffs, and the Panthers didn't finish the season above .500.
New England over the course of the season would face some of the worst teams in the NFL.
- Week 6 @ Saints (1-5)
- Week 7 @ Titans (1-6)
- Week 8 - Browns (2-6)
- Week 9 - Falcons (3-5)
- Week 11 - Jets (2-8)
- Week 12 @ Bengals (3-8)
- Week 13 - Giants (2-11)
- Week 16 @ Ravens (7-8)
- Week 17 @ Jets (3-13)
- Week 18 - Dolphins (7-10)
The Maye-led Patriots finished 14-3 last year, with their third loss coming in Week 15 to the Bills. Maye had only two games under 200 yards passing, the loss to the Bills and a 191-yard Week 18 finale against the Dolphins. Throughout the season, he posted only three games with more than two passing touchdowns.
- Week 6 - 3 touchdowns against the Saints
- Week 8 - 3 touchdowns against the Browns
- Week 17 - 5 touchdowns against the Jets
Statistically, Maye was good, but he wasn't elite. He was consistent, but most of his production came against bad football teams. In the playoffs, it was nearly a walk in the park to get to the Super Bowl.
- Wild Card round - Chargers - 268 yards, one TD, one interception
- Divisional round - Texans - 179 yards, 3 TDs (C.J. Stroud threw 4 interceptions)
- Championship game - @ Broncos - 86 yards, no TDs, no interceptions (Broncos QB Bo Nix didn't play)
The Patriots escaped the game against Denver. With Nix out, the Patriots barely managed the victory, winning 10-7. The Broncos' offense couldn't generate any offense, but then again, neither could Maye. In the Super Bowl, the Patriots were no match for the Seahawks. Their 13 points and most of Maye's stats came in the 4th quarter with the game already out of reach.
This year, Maye isn't going to get the cake walk at the bottom of the NFL schedule. Their first four games are against four division winners from last season, including a rematch with the Super Bowl champion Seahawks.
Maye will face the Bears, Packers, Lions, Chargers, and the Broncos, all playoff teams a year ago. The road to the Super Bowl, let alone the playoffs, won't be an easy one. This is where Maye will earn the respect of the league and other divisional fans, or fall on his face and show that he isn't as elite as some might think.
In his rookie season, Maye started 12 games and only won three of them. He threw 15 touchdowns and 10 interceptions. It wasn't a horrible year for the QB as much as it was for the Patriots as a team. The 4-13 record was only partly due to Maye.
Last season, the Patriots made a coaching change, philosophical changes on offense, and had a new focus, but ultimately, Maye was gifted that cushioned last-place schedule.
I'm not saying that Maye can't be good. I'm saying that he hasn't proved to be good enough for a top-11 spot on a top-100 list. This year, he has a chance to prove he isn't overrated.
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