FOXBORO, Mass. — If the “Drake Maye for MVP” crowd was looking for an opportunity to cement its case that their guy should be that guy, it was delivered on a festive, holiday platter late Sunday afternoon at Gillette Stadium.
The New England Patriots were trailing the Buffalo Bills by four points, 2:43 remaining in the fourth quarter, first-and-10 at their own 17. All New England’s second-year quarterback had to do was do what MVPs do all the time, which is lead their team from one side of the field to the other side and right on into the end zone — and do it in a meaningful December game. The Patriots would have had a victory, and in doing so would have clinched first place in the AFC East. Hats and T-shirts for everyone! All this would have happened in front of the NFL’s reigning MVP, Bills quarterback Josh Allen.
Instead, that last, would-be heroic New England drive led by Maye was a big ball of confusion, an in-and-out burger that was over in just four plays. Maye completed a 5-yard pass to Mack Hollins, and then it was sack, incomplete pass, incomplete pass … and the Bills running out the clock to complete their 35-31 victory over the Patriots at snowy, chilly Gillette.
This was a much-anticipated matchup between two old-timey foes from the late, great American Football League. They first played each other on Sept. 23, 1960, which was so long ago that it was five days before Boston Red Sox legend Ted Williams hit his epic last-at-bat home run. It had been all Patriots for most of the first two decades of the 21st century, followed by a five-year run by the Bills, but for most of this season it’s been the Pats making the most noise in the AFC East. Especially in early October, when the Patriots went into Buffalo’s Highmark Stadium and registered a 23-20 upset victory.
Sunday’s rematch, then, was billed as the biggest game at Gillette Stadium in the post-Tom Brady era. And in the early going, Maye ran up Brady-like statistics. As if to prove that he, too, is a big, tough running quarterback, maybe not as physically big as Allen but every bit as tough, Maye delivered touchdown runs of 8 and 7 yards in the first quarter.
The Pats had leads of 21-0 and 24-7. But take a closer look at the game book and you’ll see that Allen led the Bills to touchdown drives on five straight possessions.
And don’t think, not for one second, that as all this was happening, Allen was unaware of those changing-of-the-guard stories that had been making the rounds all week. When it was over, the Pats having shoved their celebratory hats and shirts into a storage closet, Allen was asked if there had been added motivation to keep the Patriots from claiming the AFC East.
“Absolutely,” came the quick reply from Allen, who then walked it back a little with a little Belichickian disclaimer about how the next game is always the most important game. “We were just, hey, we’ve got to find a way to win the football game,” Allen said.
As for Maye, he sounded as though he wasn’t even aware Allen got the Bills into the end zone on five straight possessions.
“I’m worried about our guys,” Maye said. “I’m trying to go match it, and trying to go answer. We answered once but failed to do it the next two times. We had a chance when the defense got us the ball back, and that’s what you have to strive for. We made it happen last time but didn’t make it happen today.”
And then there was Patriots coach Mike Vrabel. For anyone who needs a refresher course as to the esteem in which Vrabel holds Allen, consider an exchange that took place during the coach’s postgame news conference. Asked the obligatory question about what he sees in Allen that enables him to be who he is, Vrabel began with the basics: “Same things everyone else sees — 6-5, 250 pounds, runs fast, hard to tackle, hard to get down to the ground. Accurate, strong arm. I’m giving you a dissertation on a league MVP … that’s why they pay him $60 million. I don’t know what to tell you.”
It was at this point that an off-to-the-side Patriots official announced that the team’s locker room was now open, which presented Vrabel a chance to get away, or at least get to another question.
Nevertheless, he persisted.
“Just exactly what we knew it was going to be,” Vrabel said, loud and clear. “That we were going to need to get a stop, or be able to tackle him if we pressured and we came free. So hopefully we get another opportunity to do that, but that won’t be for, well, I don’t know. But whatever we do, we’ll have to be ready for the quarterback that we had this week.”
Allen is actually a measly 237 pounds, but you get the idea. Vrabel played against some fine quarterbacks in his day, and with one legendary quarterback, so he knows the goods when he sees the goods. He could have simply said, “Well, he’s MVP for a reason, y’know.” Instead, he went the dissertation route. And then some.
The Patriots may yet win the AFC East. They might even win the Super Bowl. What we know for sure, or should know, is that Allen and Maye are going to have some epic battles over the next five years — and for longer than that if they’re both kept away from the medic’s table.
On this day, it was the reigning MVP who drowned out the MVP cheers of another worthy candidate.