Drake Maye's Dominant 5-td Performance Keeps Patriots In Race For No. 1 Afc Seed And The Qb In Mvp Running

If New England Patriots quarterback Drake Maye wins the 2025 NFL MVP award, he may want to thank one of the team's biggest rivals. Maye was otherworldly against the New York Jets in the first half Sunday, tossing four touchdowns in one of the most dominant two-quarter offensive performances in recent memory. Despite Maye sitting out the entire fourth quarter, the Patriots managed to easily win 42-10.

Maye's performance helped the Patriots move to 13-3, which gives the team a chance at securing the No. 1 seed in the AFC, though the Patriots need help to make that a reality in Week 18. 

New England put itself in that position thanks to Maye, who was transcendent early against the Jets. Maye's first incomplete pass didn't come until there was 1:44 left in the second quarter. He opened the game a perfect 11-for-11, for 159 yards and three touchdowns. 

They weren't all easy completions either, as Maye connected on at least three passes of 20 yards during that stretch. It helped that Maye's primary receiver, Stefon Diggs, came up with at least one phenomenal catch to keep Maye's game-opening hot streak alive. 

Maye didn't let his first incompletion of the day bring him down. He quickly bounced back after a rare miss, tossing another touchdown to finish the first half 17-of-19 for 229 yards and four passing touchdowns.

Heading into halftime, the Patriots led 35-3. They gained 344 yards on offense in the first half, the most by any team since the 2023 season. Given the significant lead, there were already questions over whether Maye should remain in the game in what turned out to be garbage time. 

Unfortunately for the Jets, Maye still had some ball left in him. On the Patriots' first offensive drive of the third quarter, Maye threw his fifth touchdown of the game, putting New England up 42-3.

At that point, the Patriots decided to save Maye for next week. On the team's next offensive drive, Joshua Dobbs entered the game. 

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Maye finished 19-of-21 passing for 256 yards and five passing touchdowns before being taken out of the game. 

Entering the day, Los Angeles Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford held the edge in some key statistical categories for the award. 

Maye's performance in Week 17 will certainly close that gap, though Stafford can add to his numbers Monday, when the Rams take on the Atlanta Falcons to close Week 17.

Entering the day, Stafford still held a sizable edge in the betting odds, per BetMGM.

Even if Maye's dominant Week 17 isn't enough to win the MVP, the fact that he's competing for the award in his second season says a lot about his development. After an uneven rookie season, in which Maye showed talent and inconsistency, his improvement has been undeniable as a second-year player. 

Following his rookie season, Maye looked like — at best — the third-best quarterback taken in the 2024 NFL Draft. Washington Commanders standout Jayden Daniels appeared to be head and shoulders above the rest of the class, with Denver Broncos rookie Bo Nix sitting in second after a strong statistical year. 

But as Year 2 ends for all those players, Maye stands out as the best player of the bunch, especially after Daniels endured various injuries this season.

For as good as Daniels performed as a rookie and as impressive as its been to watch Nix and Chicago Bears quarterback Caleb Williams lead their teams to wins this season, those players haven't been seriously considered for the MVP award. 

Maye managed to put himself in that conversation in just his second year, something even the great Tom Brady — with whom Patriots fans are very familiar — wasn't able to accomplish until Year 3.