‘This league is abut winning:’ Drake Maye pitches his own case for winning MVP

New England Patriots

“I think this league is about winning and then from there the ability to spread the ball around and get teammates involved.”

It seems like there’s no shortage of opinions on who should win the NFL MVP this year.

Tom Brady says Matthew Stafford had a “dream season” worthy of the award and that Maye will have plenty of more chances to compete for it. Jason McCourty said he can’t see how Maye won’t beat out Stafford.

Patriots coach Mike Vrabel laid out his opinion on the matter while speaking to reporters on Monday. He praised Maye for his accuracy, ability to create explosive plays, and willingness to use his legs to extend plays.

In terms of total touchdowns and yards and facing better competition, Stafford’s got the edge. Maye has had the more accurate and efficient season and has arguably done more with less in terms of the talent surrounding him. The Patriots were 4-13 and had one of the worst offenses in the NFL last season. They’re 14-3 now after a stunning one-year turnaround.

So, what does Maye think about all this? During a recent appearance on WEEI, the Patriots quarterback answered a question from a caller about how he would pitch his own MVP case.

“Just our team. 14-3, winning the AFC East in a year that a lot of people would have bet on us not to,” Maye said. “I think this league is about winning and then from there the ability to spread the ball around and get teammates involved. That’s what I enjoy to do and I think we did that this year. Looking forward to hosting a home playoff game.”

The Patriots are the No. 2 seed in the AFC. They’ll host the Chargers on Sunday night at Gillette Stadium. Stafford and the fifth-seeded Rams will be on the road on Saturday, visiting the Panthers in the NFC wildcard round.

New England’s schedule was the easiest in the entire NFL, according to ESPN’s football power index. The Rams had the ninth-toughest schedule in the league, according to that ranking.

But now the playoffs are here, and it’s win or go home. Maye said he took a brief moment to reflect on the season after the Patriots blew out Miami on Sunday.

“I’d say after the locker room it was a good reflection point to look back on the season and what we’ve done,” Maye said. “I think it has now gotten to the point in the week where it’s playoff time. It’s time to go.”

Towards the beginning of the interview, Maye was asked which aspect of the season he was most proud of. Once again, he pointed to the wins. This Patriots team had won eight games over its last two seasons. They put 14 in the win column this season.

“Just trying to be the same each and every week and not change my preparation and what I do and what I focus on,” Maye said. “From there, the ability to spead the ball around the offense is always a cool deal when everybody is making plays and everybody is having their moments and having their games and just caring about winning.”

Khari A. Thompson

Sports Reporter

Khari Thompson covers professional sports for Boston.com. Before joining the team in 2022, Khari covered college football for The Clarion Ledger in Jackson, Miss.