Maye was also diplomatic in his distribution, completing passes to eight receivers, and finding success at every level: He was 18 of 22 for 165 yards on short passes, 5 of 5 on intermediate (10-19) for 84 yards and 1 of 3 on deep balls (20-plus), with the 33-yarder to Williams.
“Just trying to be the face, trying to be the conductor,” Maye said of what he’s realizing he can be for the offense. “[Vrabel] calls it the conductor of the offense. Trying to be the face of the offense. You want the pressure. I want the ball in my hands, and I try to show that all year and throughout my career. That’s what I feel like. I know they feed off of me and feed off my energy and feed off what I say to those guys, and what I say means something to them. So, just know when adversity hits, know I’ve got to respond. And from there, I’ve just got to be the same guy every day. Don’t try to change and just be myself. That’s what the guys like the most.”
The Williams TD was really the exclamation point to a masterful Monday, even though it came with 3:29 remaining before halftime. New England had a 24-7 lead with nothing but game clock standing between Maye and the Patriots’ bye week after the franchise’s best start since 2016, when New England went 14-2 en route to a win in Super Bowl LI.
The 2024 NFL Draft’s No. 3 overall pick, Maye was impressive as a rookie despite New England struggling to a 4-13 campaign under Jerod Mayo.
It was the Washington Commanders’ Jayden Daniels (No. 2 overall) who emerged as the darling of a ballyhooed ’24 QB draft class, but Maye has seemingly taken the lead now as Daniels’ second year has been marked by injuries and Washington travails. The Chicago Bears’ Caleb Williams (No. 1) and the Denver Broncos’ Bo Nix (No. 12) have their teams in first place in the NFC North and AFC West, respectively, just as Maye has led the Patriots to the top of the AFC East and the AFC’s top seed.
However, Maye’s the only one of the bunch drawing MVP buzz.
“Like I’ve always said, I’m a Drake guy,” Boutte told NFL Network’s Bridge Condon. “I love the hype. MVP.”
