New England Patriots
“I mean, y’all see what I see. … I think Drake’s doing everything they’re doing.”
Despite Myles Garrett and Cleveland’s potent pass rush doling out plenty of damage against Drake Maye (five sacks, five quarterback hits) on Sunday, the Patriots’ star QB had the last laugh at Gillette Stadium.
Maye still landed plenty of punches against one of the top defensive units in the NFL on Sunday, with the young signal-caller completing 18-of-24 throws for three touchdowns, one interception and 332 total yards of offense.
The Browns’ defense — which entered Week 8 allowing just 16.1 points per game (the third-lowest mark in the NFL) — was shredded for 32 points and 422 yards on Sunday, with Maye and Co. generating 16 plays of 10-plus yards in the win.
During a third quarter where Maye completed 6-of-6 passes for 82 yards and three touchdowns, cheers of “MVP! MVP!” started to sprout up across Gillette Stadium — especially after the second-year QB uncorked a 39-yard touchdown pass to Kayshon Boutte.
Maye — who has brushed aside any narrative regarding his MVP candidacy earlier this season — once again did not take the bait on Sunday when asked if he heard those cheers during the third quarter.
“No, I didn’t hear it. The guys were making fun of me about my slide back in the huddle on the long run, so I didn’t hear it,” Maye said postgame. “But the fans have been awesome all season. It’s been really cool really to see the difference from last year to this year. Man, it’s been a journey.
“They’ve been through it, and the fans have been through it the last couple years. So it’s just credit to them. …. I know the fans have been awesome. Like I said, I think they’re the best fans in the league, and they continue to show out every week.”
Even if Maye didn’t want to delve into any conversations about the MVP race at this stage of the season, Boutte opted to vouch for his QB after yet another impressive performance on Sunday against a stout Cleveland defense.
“I think it feels good to be back at home — scoring a touchdown, throwing the ball, and then the MVP chants. I was joking with him last week about MVP, too,” Boutte said. “He doesn’t like to hear it. But, man, I think it’s the truth.”
As noted by Patriots Wire’s Sophie Weller, Maye currently holds the third-best MVP odds on DraftKings at +500 — with only Patrick Mahomes (+120) and Josh Allen (+360) ahead of him through eight weeks of game action.
So far this season, Maye has completed 75.2 percent of his passes for 2,026 yards to go along with 15 touchdown passes and three interceptions. He has also rushed for 251 yards off 51 carries to go along with two additional touchdowns.
Beyond his impressive stat lines and his role in elevating a rebuilding Patriots roster to first place in the AFC East, Maye is also rewriting the Patriots record books.
According to the Patriots Communications account on X, Maye has the most games with 200+ passing yards, a 135+ passer rating and two-plus passing touchdowns in a single season in team history with five. The previous record holder? Tom Brady with four games — during his MVP season in 2007.
For Boutte, what Maye is already doing both individually and team-wise at this stage of his career makes a compelling case for some sought-after hardware.
“I mean, y’all see what I see,” Boutte said of Maye’s MVP candidacy. “We all see. If you look around the league at the other guys, too. I mean, they’re doing great stuff, too.
“But I mean, I think Drake’s doing everything they’re doing. [There’s] not [anything] that he’s not doing. I think at the end of the day, we’re just playing football. We’re having fun with it, too. Just supporting my guys.”
Sign up for the Today newsletter
Get everything you need to know to start your day, delivered right to your inbox every morning.
