Drake Maye's former teammate draws parallels between Daniel Jones and Patriots QB amid fight for no. 1 seed

Drake Maye and Daniel Jones are two quarterbacks who have been impressive in the NFL in 2025. Indianapolis Colts wide receiver Josh Downs has had the opportunity to play with both of them, as he is currently catching Jones’ passes and played with Maye at North Carolina.

In his appearance on the “Schultz Reports” podcast on Wednesday, Downs was questioned on the similarities between Maye and Jones by Jordan Schultz. The wide receiver outlined one major similarity that has a lot of impact on the game of the two quarterbacks.

“I'd say their competitive drive is very similar,” Down said. "When you see how they kind of like will scramble and they'll put their body on the line. I think they're very similar in that manner and just how hard they work.

“They're athletic for sure, but they really will go out there and run and do anything to get that first down. That's when you know you got a real competitor.”

Drake Maye and Daniel Jones have been fantastic for their respective teams this season, with both considered among the frontrunners for the MVP. They are both aiming to claim the No. 1 seed in the AFC with their team, as the Patriots hold a 10-2 record while the Colts are sitting on an 8-3 record.

Giants LB points out a weakness of Drake Maye ahead of Week 13

Brian Burns and his New York Giants teammates have a lot of work to do as they face the Patriots on Monday night. In his media availability on Wednesday, the linebacker conceded that Drake Maye is undeniably talented, but pointed out a weakness in the quarterback.

“I feel like, at times, he's so caught up in making the right play or getting so caught up in his routes downfield, he just forgets about somewhat of who's rushing him, if that makes sense," Burns said. "It could be a bad thing, it could be a good thing.

“What I mean by poised is that he takes his time, he makes the right reads and he tries to make the right play. It can also bite you in the butt at a certain amount of times if you've got edge rushers coming and you're not really too cognitive of where they are."

Concerns have swirled around Drake Maye’s tendency to hold the ball too long while hunting for the perfect play, a classic habit of most young NFL quarterbacks. However, this hasn’t had too much impact on his production and effectiveness on the field this season.