FOXBORO — Drake Maye remains in the hunt for the NFL MVP award, but the Patriots quarterback would rather bring some different hardware to Gillette Stadium.
Maye has received numerous MVP chants from Patriots fans this season, and those continued into the first half of Sunday’s 35-31 loss to the Bills. Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford gained some ground on Maye in the MVP odds after the Patriots’ loss, however.
That doesn’t seem to bother Maye much.
“The MVP is obviously one of the big accolades for for this league, and it’s something that’s an honor as a player to earn their award, and I respect all the past MVPs, but I think at the end of the day, winning the Super Bowl is the biggest thing,” Maye said Wednesday. “And I think it’s what kind of makes this league go, is winning the big one, and that’s what you work towards, and that’s what this game’s about. I love winning, and the personal accolades come with all that, but I’d rather win than win personal awards and people in the locker room, I know a lot of them feel the same way.”
Maye, who leads the NFL in Pro Bowl voting, ranks first in the NFL in completion percentage with a 70.9% mark. He’s thrown for 3,567 yards with 23 touchdowns and seven interceptions while leading the Patriots to an 11-3 record. He’s also rushed 85 times for 362 yards with four touchdowns.
It’s currently a three-man race for MVP between Stafford, Maye and the quarterback who beat the Patriots on Sunday, Bills QB Josh Allen.
Stafford has the edge with a 112.2 passer rating over Maye (109.1) and Allen (104.3).
As far as advanced stats are concerned, Maye leads NFL QBs with a 7.8% completion percentage over expected, 99.8 total EPA and 0.20 EPA per dropback. Maye is third in the NFL with a 71.2 QBR but ranks higher than Stafford and Allen. Stafford (93.3) and Allen (87.5) both have higher overall PFF grades than Maye (87.0). Maye (85.3) does have Allen (78.0) beat in PFF passing grade, though Stafford (93.0) leads the NFL.
Stafford’s Rams are the No. 1 seed in the NFC with an 11-3 record. The Patriots lead the AFC East over the 10-4 Bills and are ranked second in the conference behind the Broncos.
Maye has another chance to state his case for MVP in a national, primetime matchup against the Ravens on “Sunday Night Football” this week.
The Patriots can clinch a playoff spot with a win over the Ravens. They can later win the AFC East with wins over the Jets and Dolphins.
Maye isn’t taking the 7-7 Ravens lightly.
“We have a tough challenge,” Maye said. “They’re a good defense, and they’re a good football team with a great quarterback, so they’re a tough challenge.”
Head coach Mike Vrabel went so far as to call Ravens safety Kyle Hamilton one of the NFL’s top players.
“Teams aren’t really running the ball on them, so they’re forcing a lot of these games to be one-dimensional,” Vrabel said. “Really good mix of veteran players and some youth. Really good interior players. I mean, they’re just big, (Travis) Jones and (John) Jenkins, and obviously they’ll rotate other guys through there, but it starts with those two.
“I think Kyle Hamilton is one of the best players in this league just from a versatility standpoint and what he can do at the line of scrimmage, covering. I mean, 34 career PBUs, eight career sacks, plays nickel, plays safety, plays dimebacker. So, the versatility there is impressive. The playmaking ability is impressive. I mean, (Marlon) Humphrey is – if you’re loose with the football or you take a nap, he’ll pull it out or he’ll hammer it. Roquan Smith usually tackles the ball every time it’s handed off. So, they’re playing well, they’re playing with a lot of confidence and it’ll be a huge test.”
If the Patriots can’t get their run game going against the Ravens, then they’ll have to rely on Maye to make plays with his arm. And even if it’s not a priority for Maye, a win over the Ravens on Sunday night will certainly help him in the MVP race.