By Matt Geagan
January 31, 2025 / 9:39 AM EST / CBS Boston
BOSTON — New England Patriots quarterback Drake Maye participated in his first-ever Pro Bowl event on Thursday night, but did not fair well in the “Passing the Test” challenge in the Skills Showdown.
Maye finished with the lowest point total among the six quarterbacks in the event, walking away with just 22 points — well behind the winning total of 44 points by Detroit’s Jared Goff. Minnesota’s Sam Darnold racked up 39 points, while Pittsburgh’s Russell Wilson finished with 31. Cincinnati’s Joe Burrow and Tampa Bay’s Baker Mayfield both tallied 27 points.
In the event, the quarterbacks started with 40 seconds to hit targets worth between one and five points, depending on their size and where they were on the field. Hitting all nine targets reset the board for the QBs to start again.
Maye followed Goff, so he had an uphill battle from the jump. He had 80 seconds to take aim at his targets thanks to former Patriots tight end and Jonnu Smith, who answered four trivia questions correctly to give Maye an addition 40 seconds.
The 22-year-old Maye hit three straight targets and four on his first five throws, but then let out a “Golly!” when he missed on five straight tosses. He hit a moving three-point target after his cold streak, but Maye struggled to hit the final four-point target. He then came up short in a desperation bid to hit the moving five-point target as time expired.
You can watch Maye take aim during the “Passing the Test” event here:
Precision Passing: Pro Bowl Skills Showdown | NFL by NFL on YouTube
While Maye struggled, he still was still complimented by Peyton Manning throughout the event.
“He just throws it so effortlessly,” Manning said of Maye.
Drake Maye at the Pro Bowl
Maye earned his Pro Bowl nod as a replacement player, taking the AFC roster spot left vacant when Baltimore’s Lamar Jackson backed out of the festivities. Maye is the only Patriots player at the Pro Bowl, after special teamer Brenden Schooler opted out because of offseason surgery.
“Passing the Test” was the only event that Maye participated in during Thursday night’s Skills Showdown. He should see some action Sunday afternoon in the flag football game between the AFC and NFC.
Matt GeaganMatthew Geagan is a sports producer for CBS Boston. He has been part of the WBZ sports team for nearly 20 years. He moved over to the web in 2012 and has covered all the highs (and a few lows) in Boston sports.
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