Drake Maye’s MVP candidacy was tempered by two turnovers in the Patriots’ win over the Falcons.
The Patriots are now 7-2 and tied for first place in the AFC under new head coach Mike Vrabel.
Maye has recorded eight straight games with over 200 passing yards and a passer rating above 100.
FOXBOROUGH, MA – The rocket ship that is Drake Maye’s Most Valuable Player candidacy nearly took off for good Nov. 2 during the New England Patriots’ 24-23 victory over the Atlanta Falcons.
Instead, an uneven second half and two turnovers overall poured some cold water on that hype. Maye once again turned in another admirable performance – and his inclusion in the midway MVP conversation was certainly warranted. Most oddmakers had him with the third-best chance of winning the award entering Week 9. But a 23-year-old on a team one year removed from a four-win season claiming the league’s highest individual honor may not be in the cards for Maye and the 2025 Patriots – even if expectations now include playing meaningful January football.
“It’s tough in a game where you win and you can feel in that locker room that these guys know we can play better,” Maye said. “I think it’s a good feeling to have, but also at the same time it’s tough to win in this league, so you’ve got to enjoy it.”
The Pats, with head coach Mike Vrabel completely transfiguring the organization’s wayward culture in a matter of months, are 7-2 and tied for first place in the AFC. Maye now has eight consecutive games with more than 200 passing yards and a passer rating better than 100. That’s the second-longest streak in NFL history and tied some guy named Tom Brady, who did it in 2007, as the best streak in team history.
The Falcons entered as the top-ranked pass defense in the league, surrendering 149 yards per game through the air. Maye had 172 and two touchdowns by halftime.
Maye pops up on lists that put him in the same stratosphere, statistically cherry-picking of course, as Peyton Manning, Aaron Rodgers, Brady and Patrick Mahomes. That he’s done it consistently over the first weeks of the season against a spectrum of opponents has to be one of the more encouraging aspects of Maye’s development.
There’s a long way to go before he can take home the hardware that those other QBs have earned. Plus, voters will be hard-pressed to give him the award unless the Patriots finish atop the AFC; two more games against the New York Jets, one against the Miami Dolphins and one on ‘Monday Night Football’ against the New York Giants could go a long way in that sense, at least. Even if Maye is the best quarterback option, he might suffer from the anti-QB coalition that would give the award to a non-quarterback (Indianapolis Colts running back Jonathan Taylor?) for the first time since the 2012 season (Minnesota Vikings running back Adrian Peterson).
Maye’s youth, inexperience still evident in standout season
On Sunday, his first-half performance included the blemish of a fumble that was the result of poor ball control in the pocket, with rookie linebacker Jalon Walker easily dislodging it and James Pearce Jr. nearly returning it for a touchdown if not for the effort of rookie left tackle Will Campbell to chase him down.
In the third quarter, an overthrow over the middle resulted in an interception for Falcons safety Jessie Bates. Vrabel approached his 23-year-old quarterback on the sideline, and Maye appreciates that level of coaching, as Vrabel is “always challenging me to battle adversity and get the guys going.”
“He’s hard on me, but he’s very positive, and I think he wants the best out of me,” Maye said. “Everything that he says to me, I think it’s going to be important and become true.”
Maye’s youth and inexperience is evident even when things go well. A 12-yard scramble on the first drive of the game featured him cutting back and taking a hard hit rather than sliding once he cleared the first-down marker. Perhaps he would not have fumbled at the end of the first half had his other stiff-arm-and-scramble attempts not been as successful. Managing the hero ball moments are part of his development.
New England converted six of its first seven third-down attempts. Some were more manageable than others, like when he needed to perfectly hit tight end Hunter Henry in the hands to pick up a third-and-7 in the first half. Or in the fourth quarter, facing a third-and-12, it was no problem – there’s Stefon Diggs for 25 yards on an absolute seed between Falcons defenders
“He puts it in places that definitely makes it – in a tough spot – easier for us,” Henry told USA TODAY Sports.
Maye’s accuracy has been exemplary all season. He was the third overall pick for a reason, Henry said.
“I don’t think he’s ever not had that accuracy,” Henry said. “I think he’s just continuing to develop and continuing to make strides. He’s gaining confidence, obviously, in the system.
“We just put a lot of work in and he throws an easy ball to catch, too, so it’s nice.”
One example of the system working for him was his first touchdown pass to DeMario “Pop” Douglas in the first quarter. Offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels – who held the same role during the golden days of the Patriots’ dynasty with Brady as his signal-caller – schemed up the first touchdown by lining Douglas up in the backfield to create a matchup with a linebacker. The wideout ran a wheel route by a defender and Maye perfectly dropped it in the bucket for six points.
“I love this team,” said Douglas, who turned in the first 100-yard game of his career. “I can’t wait to see how far we go.”
Much of that will depend on the arms and legs of Maye.