Heading into Week 15 of the 2025 NFL season, Patriots quarterback Drake Maye is still at the top of the MVP conversation, falling just behind 17-year veteran Matthew Stafford. The two have been mostly neck and neck in recent weeks, but Stafford's big-time win over the Cardinals on Sunday has many analysts (and bettors) moving him up the ladder for the award, while Maye falls.
He only has one nickname listed on his Pro Football Reference page, and it's his own first and last name. There's no Tom Terrific or TB12-style nickname for the second-year quarterback yet. He's Drake "Drake Maye" Maye. Patriots left tackle Will Campbell appeared to get a kick out of it when he poked his head into one of Maye's press conferences last month.
It took second-year Patriots quarterback Drake Maye less than 30 career NFL games to emerge as a serious contender for the league's Most Valuable Player award. After Monday's performance against the Giants, Maye has overtaken Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford as the odds-on favorite to win the MVP, according to multiple sports-books including DraftKings and FanDuel. Maye entered last week with the second best odds behind Stafford, but a 24-for-31 passing, 282 yard performance with two touchdowns and no turnovers helped him leapfrog the Los Angeles quarterback.
That aspect of Henry's offense was seldom more clearly manifested than in the 26-20 away win against the Cincinnati Bengals. In that tilt, Henry provided seven receptions for 115 yards and a touchdown. It was his first 100-yard receiving game this season, and it couldn't have come at a better time for his team. Hunter Henry is consistently good for Drake Maye and the Patriots
Both the Rams and Patriots are likely going to be at or near the top of their respective conferences, so both of them have their total team success working in their favor. Every statistical edge might be enough to swing the debate one way or another. Stafford will have the edge (in all likelihood) in touchdown passes, TD/INT ratio, and his pedigree. Maye is likely going to beat him out in passer rating, completion percentage, and yards per attempt, even if he is a bit more turnover prone than No. 9 is.
Throughout the 2024 offseason, it was clear the New England Patriots were going to use the third-overall selection in the upcoming NFL Draft on a quarterback. After the failed experiment with Mac Jones, whom the team picked in the first round in 2021, it was time to find the next franchise quarterback after Tom Brady, and they were fortunate to have a list of options in their grasp.
The New England Patriots have found their quarterback, and that's now abundantly clear. Nonetheless, Jayden Daniels' Offensive Rookie of the Year campaign last season was something spectacular: he totaled 31 total touchdowns to just 9 interceptions to go along with over 3,500 yards through the air, with nearly 900 more coming on the ground. This all came with a 69% completion rate.
"Quite a bit. I'd say his confidence," McDaniels said. "He was very well aware of his standing but he also wanted to go out there and win and kind of bring that along with him. I think it's a lot easier to lead when you've had success and you've been a significant contributor to that."
The Washington Commanders have mercifully reached their bye week after six consecutive losses, and a myriad of injuries have derailed a once-promising season. The Commanders have had to face several uncomfortable truths in 2025. The roster Adam Peters assembled is old and slow. Their young pieces are not progressing as expected. And last season's success was a perfect storm of positive vibes with minimal adversity.
The 2025 NFL season has created many new Patriots fans across the league, particularly due to the rise of second-year quarterback Drake Maye. Although many outside New England are not exactly thrilled that the once-immortal team appears to have found their new franchise player, it's hard not to root for the humble North Carolina alum, which now includes even Tom Brady.
"On these benchmarks alone, Johnson has been a smashing success," Solak wrote. "Chicago could be 2-8 right now, had all those winning drives not gone its way, and I'd still be saying it. Johnson's status as a top-five playcaller in the league has been clearly cemented in his first season outside Detroit. The Bears' offense works. And it is significantly ahead of schedule."
