Drake Maye makes MVP statement with dominant 4-touchdown performance in first half vs. Jets
If New England Patriots quarterback Drake Maye wins the 2025 NFL MVP award, he might want to thank one of the team’s biggest rivals. Maye was supernatural against the New York Jets in the first half on Sunday, throwing four touchdowns in one of the most dominant two-quarter offensive performances in recent memory.
This performance puts the Patriots on pace to go 13-3 this season, which would give the team an outside chance at securing the AFC’s No. 1 seed, although the Patriots would need some help to make that a reality in Week 18.
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New England put itself in this position thanks to Maye, who was transcendent from the start against the Jets. Maye’s first incomplete pass didn’t come until 1:44 left in the second quarter. He opened the game going a perfect 11 of 11, for 159 yards and three touchdowns.
They haven’t all been easy either, as Maye connected on at least three 20-yard passes during that stretch. That helped Maye’s primary receiver, Stefon Diggs, make at least one phenomenal catch to keep Maye’s game-opening streak alive.
Maye did not let his first failure of the day get him down. He quickly bounced back from a rare miss, throwing another touchdown to finish the first half going 17 of 19 for 229 yards and four passing touchdowns.
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At halftime, the Patriots led 35-3. They gained 344 yards of offense in the first half, the most of any team since the 2023 season. Given that significant lead, questions were already being asked about whether Maye should stay in the competition in what essentially looked like a 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, giving New England a 42-3 lead.
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 narrow that gap, although Stafford could add to his numbers on Monday, when the Rams face the Atlanta Falcons in Week 17.
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Entering the day, Stafford still held a sizable advantage in the betting odds, according to BetMGM.
Even if Maye’s dominance in Week 17 isn’t enough to win him the MVP award, the fact that he’s competing for the award in his second season speaks volumes about his development. After an uneven rookie season, in which Maye showed talent and inconsistency, his improvement is undeniable as a second-year player.
After his rookie season, Maye looked like – at best – the third-best quarterback in the 2024 NFL Draft. Washington Commanders star Jayden Daniels appeared to be head and shoulders above the rest of the class, while Denver Broncos rookie Bo Nix sat in second place after a strong statistical year.
But as year two comes to an end for all of these players, Maye emerges as the best player of the group, especially after Daniels suffered various injuries this season.
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Even though Daniels played as a rookie and as impressive as it was to watch Nix and Chicago Bears quarterback Caleb Williams lead their teams to victory this season, those players weren’t seriously considered for the MVP award.
Maye managed to get involved in that conversation in just his second year, something even the great Tom Brady – who Patriots fans know very well – couldn’t accomplish until year three.
