Oddsmakers have Drake Maye as NFL MVP favorite

New England Patriots

Drake Maye threw for two touchdowns in Sunday’s win over Tampa Bay.

It wasn’t a perfect afternoon for Drake Maye at Raymond James Stadium.

The 23-year-old quarterback’s sharp accuracy took a hit amid rainy conditions in Tampa, while a fourth quarter interception in the end zone had Maye once again viewing Sunday’s game through a critical lens.

“You’re going to be mad at yourself, but you know that you have a chance to either go in a two-minute drill to win the game or go on a five-minute scenario to win the game, so that’s this league,” Maye said. “Just bouncing back and flipping the page.”

Maye’s miscues still paled in comparison to his positive plays out on the gridiron, with the second-year pro throwing for 270 yards and two touchdowns en route to a 28-23 win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. 

And with Maye once again serving as a catalyst for New England’s seventh-straight victory, oddsmakers are starting to take notice about Maye’s validity as league MVP. 

In their latest projections, FanDuel, DraftKings, and other major oddsmakers now have Maye tabbed as the front-runner for league MVP at +250. 

Maye has been hovering around as one of the favorites for MVP honors over the last month, usually alongside other franchise QBs in Buffalo’s Josh Allen and Kansas City’s Patrick Mahomes. 

But Maye and the Patriots’ continued success — coupled with Allen and the Bills’ shocking loss to the Dolphins  on Sunday— has seemingly pushed Maye into the lead for the accolade.

Even with that turnover in the fourth quarter, Maye still managed to dole out plenty of damage against the Bucs — headlined by a pair of deep balls down the field to both Kyle Williams (72-yard touchdown) and Mack Hollins (55-yard catch in the fourth quarter).

Maye — who also hit Stefan Diggs for a touchdown on the final play of the first half —  finished the game completing 16-of-31 passes. 

So far this season, Maye is competing 71.7 percent of his throws for 2,555 yards, 19 touchdowns and just five interceptions. He has also rushed for 283 yards and an additional two touchdowns. 

Even if Maye’s stock has continued to soar over the last few weeks, he’s setting his focus on pushing New England to an eighth-straight win on Thursday in a primetime game against the Jets.

“We’ve got to flip the next page,” Maye said. “It’s a quick turnaround. We got one at home, so looking forward to playing with our fans. Our fans were great out there today. It was cool. It felt like our whole side was Patriots fans, so that was cool.”

 

Conor Ryan is a staff writer covering the Bruins, Celtics, Patriots, and Red Sox for Boston.com, a role he has held since 2023.