As Drake Maye S Mvp Case Grows Expect Patriots Qb S Modesty

Bonisiwe Shabane

-Nov 17, 2025, 4:02 AM

as drake maye s mvp case grows expect patriots qb s modesty

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. — With 11 seconds remaining in the first quarter Sunday, Drake Maye ditched the initial play call and alerted to a second read. The New England Patriots quarterback faked a handoff to running back TreVeyon Henderson then dropped back, unspooling a deep pass down the right sideline as Tampa Bay Buccaneers outside linebacker Yaya Diaby slammed Maye... Maye couldn’t see the ball’s destination in real time as he lay on the turf. But he figured that if the ball reached receiver Kyle Williams, Williams would be well-positioned to take it home. And home did the rookie take Maye’s pass, canvassing 72 yards for a touchdown.

The Patriots were 1,300 miles from their home stadium, and Maye was struggling through rain and Todd Bowles' blitzes. But Maye had shown enough electricity this season to elicit MVP chants even in the stadium of another quarterback who’d received his own MVP hype earlier this year. The chants weren’t limited to that one moment. Drake Maye, quarterback for the New England Patriots, is generating MVP buzz after a standout performance against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, culminating in a 28-23 victory. Despite being pressured throughout the game, Maye's ability to make significant plays—like a 72-yard touchdown pass—has elevated his status among fans and analysts alike. Yet, despite this acclaim, Maye remains humble, emphasizing the team's collective effort over individual recognition.

With a chance to solidify his MVP candidacy in an upcoming game against the Jets, Maye's ethos centers on teamwork and personal improvement. As the Patriots prepare to face the Jets, Maye has the opportunity to further his MVP narrative, needing continued strong performances to solidify his position in the postseason conversation. Drake Maye's unwavering humility and emphasis on teamwork underscore his potential as an MVP. His journey highlights the importance of collective success over individual accolades, reflecting a mindset that may inspire his teammates and fans alike. The summary of the linked article was generated with the assistance of artificial intelligence technology from OpenAI © 2025 BVM Sports.

Best Version Media, LLC. Quarterback Drake Maye led the New England Patriots to their eighth consecutive victory on Thursday night, taking down the New York Jets by double digits and scoring 21 unanswered points before the end of... Maye went 25-for-32 (73.5%) for 281 passing yards and one touchdown. He finished with a QB rating of 107.6, and it marked his fourth consecutive game throwing for 250-plus yards. Maye has a league-leading 2,836 passing yards, 20 touchdowns (tied for second in the NFL) and just five interceptions under his belt through 11 games. With Thursday's win, the Patriots improved to 9-2 on the season, good for first place in the AFC East.

On Friday's edition of "The Herd," FOX Sports' Colin Cowherd broke down why he believes Maye is primarily to thank for their recent success and why the 23-year-old deserves to win NFL MVP. "[In the NFL], winning games comes down to your quarterback making five, six, seven [good] throws or decisions," Cowherd said. "High-level execution. … Mike Vrabel isn't winning that game last night with Justin Fields as his quarterback. Six years after Tom Brady left, Drake Maye has made it abundantly clear that the New England Patriots again have one of the best quarterbacks in the NFL. Maddie Meyer / Getty Images

FOXBORO, Mass. — Early in the third quarter, after the latest of Drake Maye’s wild plays that leave one wondering how in the world he pulls them off, the New England Patriots huddled, the ball 11... Maye tried to yell out the play call from Josh McDaniels, but his teammates in the huddle couldn’t hear him. Offensive linemen had to wave their arms, begging the home crowd to quiet down because the “M-V-P” chants were too loud. Maye, fittingly, then promptly threw a beauty of a touchdown to the back of the end zone on a night when, even if his numbers weren’t off the charts, he showed a national audience... Maye has had better games and played in bigger games, but few have done more to boost and validate his MVP stock, given how he shined during the prime-time showcase of a 27-14 “Thursday...

After roughly half a decade's absence from real Super Bowl contention, there's no need to deny reality anymore. The 8-2 New England Patriots are back. Doubt Mike Vrabel's bunch at your own risk because they are a wagon. The biggest reason the Patriots are once again a superpower is the play of second-year quarterback Drake Maye. The former No. 3 overall draft pick has blossomed into a veritable superstar this season.

At the time of this writing, Maye is on pace for over 4,300 yards passing, 32 touchdown passes, and just nine interceptions. Oh, and he's also completing nearly 72 percent of his passes with a robust 8.9 yards per pass attempt while sitting No. 2 overall amongst all quarterbacks in composite Expected Points Added (EPA) and Completion Percentage Over Expected (CPOE). If I didn't know any better, that sounds like an NFL MVP-caliber season for Maye. Well, that's because it is. The question now is whether Maye really does have a legit shot of winning MVP in just his second season.

Outside of Maye's stellar play, the best way to assess this is to see his current competition. Let's take a quick look at the tale of the tape, at the time of publishing: You can always tell when the game slows down for a younger player. Their movements become more controlled, processing becomes quicker and everything just moves in slow motion. Neo becoming The One in The Matrix, Midorya realizing the full extent of his powers in My Hero Academia, both are examples of when you could tell that the game really slowed down for... You can now add New England Patriots' QB Drake Maye into that conversation.

The New England Patriots are 4-2 and sit at the top of the AFC East, and Maye's exponential growth from last season to this one is the biggest reason why. You can look for any metric and Maye is at or near the top of the list: seventh in EPA per play, eighth in Passing Success Rate, fifth in passing yards and tied for... All of this in a year where the offense hasn't fully realized its potential yet, with a sporadic run game and pass protection that has been up and down. Yet, Maye has this offense top 10 in EPA per play and en route to a playoff push. How he's been able to make the leap from promising to legitimately great this year has been really fun, and it all starts with slowing the game down. The Patriots, despite not having an offense that's necessarily chock full of dynamic playmakers, is built to more maximize Maye's effectiveness as a downfield passer this year compared to 2024.

With offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels at the helm, Maye's aggression throwing the ball deep has been unleashed. According to Next Gen Stats, Maye is tied for the third most completions of passes over 20 Air Yards this season and has a blistering +33.1% Completion Percentage Over Expected, second-highest in the NFL... McDaniels is an old-school offensive designer; the Patriots play 12 personnel on 37.08% of their plays this season, sixth-highest in the NFL. When they get into heavy looks and throw the ball deep, Maye is more than capable of putting in the launch codes downfield. However, what makes him even more dangerous on these plays is the fact that his ball placement is pristine. PFF charts him with zero turnover-worthy plays on passes over 20 air yards.

His ability to throw 40-yard handoffs is what separates him from the pack, and that growth has been evident this season. The route by Pop Douglas at the bottom of the screen is sick. Gets Sanker to open to the sideline before breaking back across his face, and a dime by Drake Maye pic.twitter.com/4GutrMZSuY Maye's downfield aggression is something that traveled with him from 2024, but I think his ball placement on those deep passes has trended upwards as well. Even on passes that were called back due to ghost OPI calls or passes just off the fingertips of WRs like Mack Hollins, Maye is putting them in the bucket, maximizing a wide receiver... WR Kayshon Boutte has been the Pats' best jump ball receiver this year, which is a testament to his growth but also Maye putting passes in the only spot that he could for his...

That's not just top tier quarterbacking, it's darn near MVP level. Drake Maye’s MVP talks are at their peak now. The Patriots, long struggling to define themselves post-Brady, are rolling behind the stellar performance of the pro quarterback Drake Maye. The Patriots are shining with a 5-2 record and four straight wins, and all reasons are Maye. The focus on Maye became more prominent during the 31-31 win over the Titans, emphasizing Maye’s prominence as an MVP frontrunner and making history by becoming the first quarterback in Patriots legacy with three... Maye’s stats become a focal point throughout the weeks.

The pro quarterback ranks second in yards per attempt and passer ratings. Furthermore, he ranks in the top five in QBR ratings. His dual-threat ability keeps the defense honest, blending accuracy with mobility, a record that was there in Brady’s era. Because of his impressive play, many people in the NFL compared him to the legendary A-Rod. Maye’s influence is not limited to stats. Even his teammates discussed his ability to maintain local room and vocal leadership.

“He commands the offense well and he’s doing. Great job. I know he’s going to keep progressing,” Rhamondre Stevenson said. Heading into the 2025 NFL season, the New England Patriots were expected to be an improved team with new head coach Mike Vrabel at the helm, but certainly not a force to be reckoned... On Thursday night, the Patriots won their eighth consecutive game by getting the best of the division rival New York Jets at Gillette Stadium in Foxboro, Massachusetts. Although it was close in the early going, New England started to pull away in the second half once Maye got going, improving the team’s record to an impressive 9-2, which currently stands as...

GettyDrake Maye #10 of the New England Patriots. During the 27-14 win over the Jets, Maye started to get MVP chants from the home crowd at Foxboro, which are completely justified with how well he’s played over the course of the first... Maye has been generating some MVP buzz for a few weeks now, as people are starting to realize that the Patriots are the real deal this season, with the North Carolina product being a...

As Drake Maye S Mvp Case Grows Expect Patriots Qb S Modesty

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