After Drake Maye and the Patriots’ 28-23 road win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, it’s becoming increasingly clear that this team means business. And even former NFL MVP Matt Ryan believes everyone better start paying attention.
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To start with, Sunday’s victory marked New England’s seventh straight win, pushing them to 8-2 and cementing their place atop the AFC East. It wasn’t a perfect performance by any stretch, but it was yet another showcase of the Patriots’ defining quality this season: balance.
When the offense faltered, the defense stepped up. Then, when the defense bent, Maye and the offense struck back with explosive plays. The second-year QB was steady for the most part, completing 16 of 31 passes for 270 yards and two touchdowns, one of them a beautiful fourth-and-goal strike to Stefon Diggs just before halftime. He did throw an interception late in the fourth quarter, but the secondary didn’t allow the Bucs to capitalize on it.
After the win, ex-NFL QB Matt Ryan summed up what the rest of the league might soon realize. “The New England Patriots are for real. They’re for real. Go on the road and play against a good Tampa Bay team right there,” he said on CBS.
“Drake Maye makes a mistake, he looks like a rookie towards the end of the game — turnover in the red zone. What does that team do? Defense steps up when they needed it the most. I think they’re a complete football team. They’re gonna be a problem for teams as November and December roll on,” Ryan added.
“The Patriots are FOR REAL.” – @M_Ryan02 pic.twitter.com/88MA8vg76U
— NFL on CBS (@NFLonCBS) November 9, 2025
The Patriots only faced two quality oppositions in the Steelers and the Bills this season, where they lost vs. the former and won against the latter. Even so, Mike Vrabel’s boys winning against a Super Bowl contender like the Bucs is proof of their completeness.
That said, it wasn’t Maye or any other protagonist that decided the Sunday matchup. In fact, the afternoon in Tampa was a story of big moments.
Three plays of 55 yards or more doomed the Buccaneers, including a 72-yard touchdown from rookie receiver Kyle Williams, and 55- and 69-yard scoring runs from rookie running back TreVeyon Henderson, who gashed Tampa’s usually stout defense for 147 rushing yards. Henderson’s final burst with under two minutes left effectively sealed the game, stretching the Patriots’ lead to 28-16 before the Bucs’ late push.
But credit where credit is due, Maye’s MVP rival, Baker Mayfield, did his part, throwing for 273 yards and three touchdowns, but Tampa Bay’s otherwise stout defense couldn’t contain New England’s big-play energy.
Head coach Todd Bowles admitted afterwards, “There were four [big plays] in obvious situations that we didn’t make. We didn’t play it well enough. We definitely didn’t coach it well enough. That starts with me.”
Next up, the Pats face the New York Jets on Thursday night, followed by games against the Bengals and the Giants. On paper, these three are very winnable games for the AFC East team, which would take them to an 11-2 record, aka the playoffs.
So gone are the days of the post-Brady era, where the Patriots were fighting every game to restore their old glory. It seems like we have firmly entered the Mike Vrabel and Drake Maye era, where New England once again looks every bit like “a complete football team” poised to make a deep playoff run.
