Drake Maye and the New England Patriots are winners of 10 in a row after dispatching the New York Giants, 33-15, on Monday night. As the win improved the Patriots to 11-2 and moved them back into sole possession of first place in the AFC standings, Maye couldn't help but think his team could achieve some great things down the line.
“We've got a great team. We've got great coaches,” Maye told ESPN's Lisa Salters following the win over the Giants. “I believe in this team a lot. I think we can do some things down the road, but we're taking it one week at a time.”
Maye put up another spectacular showing in the win. He completed 24 of 31 passes for 282 yards, two touchdowns and zero interceptions with a 126 passer rating. In fact, Maye's first half was magnificent. His completed 16 of 20 passes for 208 yards and two touchdowns in the first half, helping New England get out to a 30-7 lead going into the break.
As Maye shined again on Monday, it's hard not to think that he's worthy of the MVP. In fact, he's become the betting leader to win the award at most sportsbooks. And Patriots fans once again made it known that they thought their quarterback should win MVP, chating as such on several occassions throughout Monday's win.
Unlike some other instances when he was asked about the cants this season, Maye embraced the chants and appreciates the love.
“I think we've been trying to give the fans something to cheer for, and that's what we've done. Ten in a row. … We've got some work left to do. But just so proud of this team. These fans have been awesome.”
What Drake Maye said of not throwing for 300 yards in Patriots' win
Maye's second season has gone just about as well as anyone could've hoped, if not better. But there's somehow one thing that's still eluded the young quarterback: a 300-yard passing performance.
It appeared that Maye was going to reach that mark at one point in Monday's game. Late in the fourth quarter, Maye threw a 30-yard touchdown pass to Huntery Henry that would've put him above 300 passing yards on the day. However, the play was called back due to offsetting penalties, with New England getting called for an illegal shift.
The Patriots ran the ball a few times after that, and Maye wasn't able to get to 300 yards. But that's not a concern for him.
“I'm not worried about that. I'm worried about winning,” Maye told Salters. “That stuff will come down the road. I'm worried about winning right now.”
Even though Maye hasn't had a 300-yard day yet, it's clear he's been the catalyst for the Patriots' win streak. But he's deflecting credit for that.
“There's a lot of people in this locker room, this organization, that play a big role in us winning games,” Maye told reporters. “And shoot, just like you, showing up every day and making fun of you all for being in the locker room on a Friday asking us questions after practice, these guys are the same thing. They show up every day and they want to get better. And just proud of the guys and this team we have and love being around them.”
Now, Maye and the Patriots will get some time off before they seek to extend their win streak to 11 games when they face the Buffalo Bills in Week 15. That will also double as an opportunity for New England to win its first division title since 2019.
