For as exciting as his sophomore breakout has been, many have still been waiting for Drake Maye to separate himself from the rest of the pack in terms of MVP voting. Thanks to an upset win against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and their own MVP hopeful, Baker Mayfield, however, he’s now done just that.
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Heading into Week 11, the UNC product is now the odds-on favorite to take home the MVP award. The only thing that’s potentially more meaningful than that? The recognition and endorsement of his predecessor, Tom Brady.
“I’m not saying who I was rooting for, but one team built me a statue so ball’s in your court, Tampa,” quipped the seven-time Super Bowl champion. It seems safe to assume that Brady is more than content with the improvements that both Maye and his head coach, Mike Vrabel, have made throughout the past year.
Maye’s 74.1% completion percentage is the highest in the entire league, and the exact same is true for his passer rating of 116.9. Along with the help of Stefon Diggs, Maye has been able to transform the Patriots’ offense into one of the most productive units in the entire league.
Having said that, Baker had a statistically superior game on Sunday. He completed 28 of 43 attempts for 273 yards and three touchdowns with zero interceptions. A significant portion of his production, including one of his touchdowns, came in the final minutes. Meanwhile, Maye completed 16 of 31 passes for 270 yards and two touchdowns, with one interception.
This led to Skip Bayless’s post-game analysis where he claimed Baker ‘outplayed’ Maye, but the receivers and their drops cost the Bucs the game.
I WILL STILL TAKE BAKER OVER DRAKE MAYE – BAKER OUTPLAYED HIM TODAY, BUT COULDN’T OVERCOME HIS LEAKY D AND DEPLETED RECEIVERS. pic.twitter.com/3PQeruk5NM
— Skip Bayless (@RealSkipBayless) November 9, 2025
Even before they managed to hang 28 points on the Bucs in Tampa, New England was already generating the fourth most points and the seventh most offensive yards. Thanks to the Week 10 win, those totals now grade even higher, but the trick will be in sustaining them.
Throughout the next two weeks, Maye will be forced to prove himself against two of the more stingy defenses in football. The New York Jets and Cleveland Browns, despite their records, have proven to be a litmus test of sorts for offenses and opposing quarterbacks who believe that they can handle the best that the NFL has to offer.
Myles Garrett alone is enough to make any quarterback question his career choice, so if Maye is able to survive his presence in the pass rush, then he’ll likely continue to be the betting favorite to become just the seventh player in history to win an MVP award as a sophomore.
No one had these kinds of expectations for Maye heading into the season, but now that the Patriots are firmly in the mix for the number one seed in the AFC, anything less would certainly be a bit disappointing. After all, when you’re inheriting an office that used to be filled by Tom Brady, you’re going to be expected to do something spectacular sooner or later.
