Drake Maye may have enjoyed his best week as a starter, and it had very little to do with his play on the field.

The rookie recorded the first "real" win of his brief career when the Patriots dismantled the Chicago Bears, 19-3, at Soldier Field. But his actions in the days leading up to the trip to Chicago may prove to be far more valuable for both him and the team going forward.

As the Patriots were preparing to take on the Bears, Maye didn't like some of the elements the offense was featuring on the practice field. He wasn't happy with the execution at times, and he asked his coaches if he could address the team in an effort to regain focus.

While the move wasn't necessarily uncommon even for a rookie quarterback (the Bears Caleb Williams reportedly did the same thing earlier in the season), it did show confidence and the kind of leader that Maye intends to be during what the Patriots hope will be a long and successful tenure as the team's quarterback.

"I think this is part of the evolution of Drake, and this is something that we've discussed behind closed doors," Jerod Mayo said when asked about the situation. "I thought he did a good job, not only going out there and executing in practice, but also having those player-only meetings, and that's what we need from him. We need that.

"Anytime you have a quarterback that is level-headed, is a smart guy, a competitor, all those things and a leader, there's no perfect time to do anything. So, we just said, 'Hey, let's just do it right now.' He's done an excellent job there, and I look forward to seeing that progress going forward."

By any measure, Maye's decision to address the team has to be considered a positive step in his development. The fact that he followed it with his first win in a game that he started and finished makes it even more significant. The rookie identified a lack of focus, and rather than sit idly by, he did what he could to rectify the situation. That's what good leaders do, and part of becoming a good quarterback is understanding the importance of being a good leader.

That's why his actions leading up to the game outweighed what he did on the field. And while his performance wasn't one of his best, he did overcome a slow start to lead two key scoring drives late in the first half to put the Patriots in control at the break.

That's also part of becoming a good leader: finding ways to help your team win even when you are not at your best. For all of the tremendous athletic feats we've seen from the rookie through his first five starts, it was his actions off the field and ability to manage the game in the second half that stood out as his highlights of the week.

That represented winning football in more ways than one, and it represents the latest example of why Patriots fans are and should be excited that Maye is New England's quarterback.

Getting defensive

Hats off to defensive coordinator DeMarcus Covington for addressing what had become an untenable situation when it came to stopping the run. After allowing better than 165 yards on the ground to four of the five previous opponents, the Patriots completely shut down Chicago's D'Andre Swift on Sunday.

Covington was able to reverse the trend while being forced to utilize a number of players with limited experience. Curtis Jacobs and Sione Takitaki started at linebacker and special teams ace Brenden Schooler saw a handful of snaps in subpackages as well. But the key to the improvement may have been Jeremiah Pharms, who enjoyed the best game of his young NFL career.

Pharms finished with five tackles with three coming in the backfield. He and Keion White were active along the front and consistently ran down Swift when the Bears tried to test the edges of what had been a leaky run defense. Covington's adjustments resulted in a more aggressive approach, and it left the Bears searching for answers with just 142 total yards and three points on the afternoon.

Not well received

The idea of giving more reps to younger players at this stage of the season makes perfect sense. At 3-7, the Patriots don't figure to be part of the postseason race and therefore could benefit from getting some experience for as many young players as possible.

So, it was a bit surprising to see Kendrick Bourne not get a single snap while K.J. Osborn was on the field for 29 plays, which represented 45 percent of the snaps. Sitting Bourne for Ja'Lynn Polk, Javon Baker or even Tyquan Thornton – all of whom are under contract for next season – makes some sense. Sitting him for Osborn, who is finishing up his one-year deal in New England, doesn't, especially considering Bourne has two years remaining on the deal he signed during the offseason to stay in Foxborough.

Not sure what went into that decision, but it should be noted that both Osborn and Bourne showed no signs of discontent while dealing with limited playing time.

Mac in the saddle

Mac Jones got his first start with his new team, and it went much like many of his days went with his old team. Jones struggled throughout the Jags 12-7 loss to Minnesota, passing for just 111 yards with no touchdowns and a pair of interceptions. The former Pats quarterback did rush for a touchdown but was otherwise ineffective in replacing Jacksonville starter Trevor Lawrence in a game that was quite winnable due to the erratic play of Vikings quarterback Sam Darnold, who tossed three picks of his own.

Different team

I often find teams to be more impressive when they win when playing well below their capabilities and that was the case Sunday night for Detroit. Jared Goff threw five interceptions, four in a disastrous first half that saw host Houston pile up a 23-7 halftime lead.

But credit the Lions for playing tough red zone defense to keep the score within reach, and then finding enough offense after the break to come from behind. Even the team's kicker, Jake Bates, showcased his toughness by connecting from 58 yards to tie the game and later winning it from 52 as time expired.

"This is what great teams do. Even when you're having an off day, you find a way," Lions coach Dan Campbell said after the game.

Goff took it one step further when addressing the team in the postgame locker room. "If that ain't a [expletive]lesson that it ain't over until it's over, that's what it is, boys. Way to fight all day. We're [expletive] different. We're [expletive] different than all 31 in this league,"

Week 10 tidbits

We've mentioned it before but the refusal to throw flags when games are on the line continues to be a huge problem for the league. Cincinnati should have received an additional chance to make the go-ahead two-point conversion in Baltimore but a face mask on Joe Burrow and a defensive holding on Mike Gesicki went uncalled.

The Texans were trying to move into field goal range in the waning moments of their loss to Detroit when Terrion Arnold should have called for pass interference when he tackled Texans receiver Xavier Hutchinson before the ball arrived. Instead, the third down pass fell incomplete and the Texans missed the go-ahead 58-yard field goal before losing on the final play.

These no-calls came two weeks after Darnold was sacked by his face mask in the end zone in a loss to the Rams, depriving Minnesota of one last chance to drive toward a game-tying touchdown.

No one wants to see flags dominating the game, but when obvious infractions are committed with the game on the line the officials need to do their job. Too often that hasn't been the case.

Power 5

1. Kansas City (9-0) – I keep saying they stay until they lose, but it's getting tougher every week.

2. Detroit (8-1) – Lions show some grit in comeback in Houston.

3. Buffalo (8-2) – Huge showdown with the Chiefs for AFC supremacy looms.

4. Baltimore (7-3) – Ravens need to fix that defense so Lamar Jackson's dominance isn't wasted.

5. Pittsburgh (7-2) – Steelers continue to show resolve, and now found some offense with Russell Wilson.

DISCLAIMER: The views and thoughts expressed in this article are those of the writer and don't necessarily reflect those of the organization. Read Full Disclaimer