Now in his second season, New England Patriots quarterback Drake Maye has elevated his play to the point that his team is winning because of him, not despite him.
Maye had another productive day on Sunday, completing 69.2% of his passes for 261 yards, three touchdown passes and zero interceptions in the Patriots’ 25-19 victory over the New Orleans Saints. The second-year quarterback is third in the league in passer rating (112.5), third in yards per attempt (8.5), fifth in passing yards (1,522) and is tied for ninth in passing touchdowns (10).
The North Carolina product’s ability to connect on deep passes has been a separator. Maye is 10 of 13 for 312 yards, with three touchdowns and no interceptions on passes of 20-plus air yards, according to Next Gen Stats.
And Maye is making it happen on offense without much help from the running game. Rhamondre Stevenson leads the Patriots with 157 rushing yards. Maye’s rushing total isn’t too far behind, with his 138 rushing yards being the third-most on the team (he also has two rushing scores).
As a result of Maye’s playmaking ability, the Patriots are 4-2, already winning as many games as they did last season and the year before that (4-13). Now, the Patriots might be the strongest they’ve been since Tom Brady left. The last time they were 4-2 or better was in 2019, which was Brady’s last season in New England. The Patriots have also won three straight games for the first time since 2022.
Drake Maye aired it out on Sunday, with all three of his touchdown passes coming from outside the red zone. (Photo by Kenneth Richmond/Getty Images)
And the schedule sets up nicely for Maye and the Patriots. The Patriots’ next seven opponents (Titans, Browns, Falcons, Buccaneers, Jets, Bengals and Giants) have a combined 13-27 record, with that stretch going into New England’s late bye week in Week 14.
Maye was one of the big jumpers in this week’s MVP odds, moving from +3000 to +1800, according to DraftKings Sportsbook. Patrick Mahomes moved into the favorite at +185 with his impressive performance in a win at home over the Detroit Lions. Meanwhile, reigning MVP Josh Allen dropped to +300 after his team’s second loss in a row, a 24-14 setback on the road against the Atlanta Falcons.
Following Mahomes and Allen are Baker Mayfield (+350), Matthew Stafford (+1600) and Jared Goff (+1500).
Let’s take a closer look at my Top 5 heading into Week 7.
1. Baker Mayfield, QB, Tampa Bay Buccaneers (Last week: No. 1)
Even with playmakers injured and not available in Mike Evans, Chris Godwin, Bucky Irving and Emeka Egbuka, Mayfield continues to post impressive numbers and make big plays, keeping him at the top spot in MVP Watch.
Mayfield finished with 256 passing yards, with two touchdown passes and no interceptions in a big win at home over the San Francisco 49ers. His game also produced this Houdini-like escape from pressure and scramble for a first down.
Swaggy.
Odds to win MVP: +350
2. Patrick Mahomes QB, Kansas City Chiefs (Last week: No. 4)
Mahomes looked like his old self, posting 257 passing yards and four total touchdowns in a big win at home against one of the NFL’s best teams in the Detroit Lions. The win improved Kansas City’s record to 3-3 this year, with the team’s best receiver, Rashee Rice, now eligible to play after serving a six-game suspension.
The 30-year-old Mahomes has been more willing to make plays with his feet this season. His 222 rushing yards are second among quarterbacks this year.
Odds to win MVP: +185
3. Josh Allen, QB, Buffalo Bills (Last week: No. 3)
Allen struggled for a second straight week taking care of the football, finishing with two turnovers on the road Monday night in a loss to the Atlanta Falcons.
Allen was also under duress for much of the evening, getting sacked four times and pressured 15 times. Falcons head coach Raheem Morris got to Allen by bringing pressure. The Falcons blitzed Allen on 55.9% of his dropbacks, the highest blitz rate he’s faced since Week 8 of the 2021 season, per Next Gen Stats.
Odds to win MVP: +300
4. Matthew Stafford, Los Angeles Rams (Last week: No. 2)
Stafford finished with 181 passing yards and a touchdown in a road win over the Baltimore Ravens, passing Dan Marino (61,361) and moving into ninth place in NFL history in passing yards (61,493).
Once again, pass protection was not an issue for Stafford and the Rams. Stafford was pressured on just 4 of 29 dropbacks against the Ravens, his second-lowest pressure rate (13.8%) faced in a game since 2018, according to Next Gen Stats.
Matthew Stafford was comfortable in the pocket on Sunday, but he might need to get comfortable with other receivers soon with Puka Nacua getting hurt. (Photo by Greg Fiume/Getty Images)
However, with Puka Nacua suffering an ankle injury and his availability in question for Sunday’s game against the Jacksonville Jaguars in London, things could be getting more difficult for Stafford.
Odds to win MVP: +1600
5. Drake Maye, New England Patriots (Last week: Unranked)
Maye finished with a Week 6-best 140.1 passer rating in the Patriots’ win over the Saints. He is the fourth different player in league history under the age of 24 to post at least 200 passing yards and a passer rating of 100 or higher in five straight games. The only other players to do that? Dan Marino, Dak Prescott and Patrick Mahomes, so he’s got some pretty good company there.
Odds to win MVP: +2500
Honorable mention: Jared Goff, Jonathan Taylor, Jordan Love, Daniel Jones, Dak Prescott
Eric D. Williams has reported on the NFL for more than a decade, covering the Los Angeles Rams for Sports Illustrated, the Los Angeles Chargers for ESPN and the Seattle Seahawks for the Tacoma News Tribune. Follow him on X at @eric_d_williams.
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