The New England Patriots were in for a big-time matchup in Week 10, as they faced the NFC South-leading Tampa Bay Buccaneers, who were coming off a bye and hoped to see QB Baker Mayfield continue his campaign as an MVP front-runner.
Besides wanting to continue their current win streak, the Patriots had another motivation to beat the Bucs on the road: to prove to the doubters who keep referring to their "easy schedule" that they're capable of beating some of the best teams in the league. And fortunately, they did just that.
It wasn't without the help of two standout rookies, RB TreVeyon Henderson and WR Kyle Williams, both of whom scored incredible touchdowns to keep the team ahead. And, of course, there was a lot of help from Drake Maye, despite an ill-timed interception that very easily could have been the reason they lost on Sunday afternoon.
Although his performance was far from top-tier, the second-year quarterback continued his MVP trek this week, and Patriots fans made sure to remind him of that as he exited the field.
LET THEM KNOW, Pats Nation @DrakeMaye2 🗣️@budlight | #ForTheCelly pic.twitter.com/44qbzv8SZR
— New England Patriots (@Patriots) November 9, 2025
It was something that could be heard throughout the entire game, and several Patriots reporters noted there was a massive presence of New England fans in attendance, making their win that much sweeter.
Drake Maye remains at the top of the list to be named MVP this season
Over the last few years, there haven't been many chants heard from Patriots fans at Gillette Stadium or elsewhere that anyone cares to remember. Other than the demands for Bailey Zappe to replace Mac Jones more than once, there were also far too many instances of boo's ringing out from the stands, which looks to be a distant memory now with the 2025 team.
Instead, we've been hearing MVP chants for Maye, a nice change from what has been a mostly considered miserable five years in Foxboro, which felt like an eternity for most fans.
But now it looks like the right decisions were made by picking Maye in the draft, and he has already established himself as the franchise quarterback the team has been looking for since Tom Brady left in 2020.
He continues to prove that on a weekly basis, and much of that has only strengthened his shot at being named the league MVP this season.