“One Team Built Me a Statue”: Tom Brady Credits Patriots as Baker Mayfield ‘Outplays’ Drake Maye

While his sophomore breakout has been exciting, many are still waiting for Drake Maye to separate himself from the rest of the pack in terms of MVP voting. Thanks to the New England Patriots’ upset win against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and their MVP hopeful, Baker Mayfield, Maye has done just that.

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?

Well, an acknowledgement, recognition and endorsement from his predecessor, Tom Brady. And the GOAT seems more than content with the improvements that both Maye and his head coach, Mike Vrabel, have made throughout the past year.

“I’m not saying who I was rooting for, but one team built me a statue so ball’s in your court, Tampa,” said the seven-time Super Bowl champion.

Maye’s 74.1% completion percentage is the highest in the league, and the 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 NFL.

That said, Baker had a statistically superior game on Sunday even though his side lost. 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 claiming in his post-game analysis that Baker ‘outplayed’ Maye, but the receivers and their drops cost the Bucs the game.

However, 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 in the league. Thanks to the Week 10 win, those totals grade even higher. But the trick will be in sustaining them.

In 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.

Cleveland’s Myles Garrett alone is enough to make any quarterback question his career choice. So if Maye can 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 disappointing.

After all, when you’re inheriting an office that used to be filled by Brady, you’re going to be expected to do something spectacular sooner or later.