Drake Maye did not just beat the Giants on Monday night. He made a statement in NFL MVP Race.
The Patriots quarterback delivered one of his cleanest performances of the season in a 33 to 15 dismantling of New York, throwing for 282 yards, two touchdowns, and zero interceptions in a game that felt over long before the final whistle. New England secured its 10th straight win, moved to an NFL-best 11 and 2, and hit Week 14 bye playing its sharpest football of the year. At the center of all of it stood Maye, calm, surgical, and fully in control.
This was not a game that swung on one moment or one highlight. It was four quarters of command. Maye repeatedly diced up coverage and made the right reads, starting early with a 3-yard strike to Kayshon Boutte in the first quarter and following it with a perfectly dropped 33-yard touchdown to Kyle Williams near the left corner of the end zone. Every throw looked intentional. Every drive felt inevitable.
And now, so does the MVP conversation.
Maye entered Monday just behind Matthew Stafford in the odds, but there is nothing subtle about how that race shifted under the lights. This was the kind of performance that changes narratives overnight. He did not flash. He dominated. He was elevated. He made a playoff-caliber defense look lost.
The numbers only drive the point home further. This marked Maye’s sixth game this season with at least a 75 percent completion rate and two or more touchdown passes, tying Matt Ryan’s 2016 MVP campaign for the third most such games in a single season in league history. The only quarterbacks ahead of him are Tom Brady in 2007 and Jared Goff last season. That is not just elite territory. That is historical air.
His efficiency has become just as frightening as his production. Maye does not gamble. He calculates. He sees the field like a veteran and throws with the confidence of a star who already knows the ending. And when the Patriots needed to put the game away, he did not stall out. He doubled down.
New England’s offense now looks unstoppable. The defense keeps forcing quick 3 and outs to opposing offenses. While Maye keeps making the game feel simple, even when it isn’t.
This is what MVP seasons look like. Consistency. Control. Command.
The bye week gives the Patriots time to recharge and get ready for the back half of their season. As Maye is showing no signs of slowing down. He is rounding into form at exactly the wrong time for opponents and the perfect time for voters.
The MVP race no longer feels wide open. It feels claimed.
Drake Maye did not just enter the conversation Monday night. He took it over.