Patriots quarterback Drake Maye played against -- and beat down -- his childhood team on Sunday as he led New England to a 42-13 win over the Carolina Panthers at Gillette Stadium. The North Carolina native threw for two touchdowns and ran for another, and hit his favorite team growing up with Cam Newton's patented touchdown celebration in the first half.

Maye found the end zone against the Panthers with a bootleg to the left side of the field, which gave the Patriots a 14-6 edge at the time. After his five-yard scoring run, Maye channeled his inner Newton and mimicked the Carolina quarterback's famous Superman celebration in the end zone.

Leading up to the Week 4 showdown, Maye shared that Newton was his favorite player growing up. He spoke of Newton's impact, both on the NFL and on himself, after New England's win on Sunday.

"It's a fun-loving position. He played the position in a different way than a lot of people do, and the guys around him rallied around him," Maye said of Newton. "I had another [run] late, I think in the third or fourth, I had a safety one-on-one. I know Cam probably would have took him on and tried to score. 

"I'm a big fan. He was my favorite player growing up, so pretty cool," added Maye. 

Drake Maye's all-around Sunday vs. Panthers

Maye took whatever the Carolina defense gave him on Sunday and never looked frazzled or caught between being a runner and a passer. He finished his Sunday 14-of-17 for 203 yards and a pair of touchdown passes, plus a rushing touchdown in the second quarter.

Is this the Maye we can expect to see every Sunday going forward?

"I sure hope so. If it leads to wins, that's what I'm trying to become and the quarterback I'm trying to become," Maye said after the win. "I try to do it kind of just my whole career, kind of spread it around and give it to the guys that can make plays. I think everybody's got some chance on our team, our skill guys to make the defense give them a problem."

Maye connected on several big plays Sunday, which wasn't something we saw from the New England offense over the first three weeks. He had 33-yard and 30-yard connections with Stefon Diggs, a 31-yard touchdown to Hunter Henry, and an early 24-yard hookup with Austin Hooper. Kayshon Boutte also caught a key 18-yard pass, part of an explosive afternoon for the New England offense.

Maye said he's getting a lot more comfortable in Josh McDaniels' offense, but he's got a lot of help on the field.

"I think there's still stuff on the tape that Coach will get on me on, and I think that's the best thing to do is, with a loss you kind of learn from it and take it to heart. Also, when you win, look at the tape and learn from it," he said. "There's things that are going to show up in this game that matter down the road. Yeah, getting more and more comfortable. I think those guys around me are helping me out."

Maye is off to a great start to his second NFL season, as he's completed 74 percent of his passes for 988 yards, seven touchdowns, and just two interceptions. He's also got a pair of rushing touchdowns and is averaging 4.1 yards per carry for New England.