Maye was also diplomatic in his distribution, completing passes to eight receivers and succeeding at all levels: He was 18-of-22 for 165 yards on short passes, 5-of-5 on short passes (10-19) for 84 yards and 1-of-3 on deep balls (20-plus yards), including a 33-yard William.
“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] it calls the controller of the fragment. Trying to be the face of the offense. You want the pressure. I want to have the ball in my hands and I try to show that throughout the year and throughout my career. That’s what I think. I know they feed off of me and feed off of my energy and feed off of what I say to those guys, and what I say means something to them. So, just know when adversity hits, know I have to act. And from there I just have to be the same guy every day. Don’t try to change and just be me. That’s what the boys enjoy the most.”
Williams’ TD was really the exclamation point to a masterful Monday, even though it came with 3:29 left in the half. New England led 24-7 and nothing but a game clock stood between Maye and the Patriots after their best start since 2016, when New England went 14-2 en route to victory in Super Bowl LI.
The No. 3 overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft, Maye was impressive as a rookie despite New England struggling through a 4-13 campaign under Jerod Mayo.
It was the Washington Commanders’ Jayden Daniels (No. 2 overall) who emerged as the darling of the 24-QB draft class, but Maye appears to have taken the lead now that Daniels’ second year has been marred by injuries and struggles in Washington. Caleb Williams of the Chicago Bears (No. 1) and Bo Nix of the Denver Broncos (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 top of the AFC.
However, Maye is the only one of the bunch who is drawing MVP buzz.
“Like I’ve always said, I’m a Drake guy,” Boutte told NFL Network’s Bridge Condon. “I love hype. MVP.”