Drake Maye has the New England Patriots soaring. The Patriots offense ranks 8th in PPG with 26.6 points a game, 9th in passing yards with 240.5 per contest, and Maye is fourth in rushing yards among quarterbacks. His 17 total touchdowns are among the best in the league, and he has the best completion rate: north of 75%.
Additionally, he is the team's second leading rusher, just 29 yards behind Rhamondre Stevenson despite taking 23 fewer carries. He also has the best yards per carry on the team. All of this is being done with the second-highest scramble rate in the league and the fourth-worst offensive line in terms of sacks allowed.
Despite these incredible performances and the team now sitting 6-2 and second in the AFC, there are still Drake Maye doubters. One such doubter is a former MVP and ex-Patriot quarterback.
Cam Newton doesn't believe Drake Maye is the best in this category
Maye, a North Carolina native and UNC alum, paid tribute to Cam Newton after notching a rushing touchdown against the Panthers earlier this year. Despite Maye idolizing the 2015 MVP, Newton doesn't feel Maye is at that elite level yet.
It’s a little weird to me that Cam Newton is going on ESPN week after week to dismiss the idea that Drake Maye is playing as a top QB after how much Maye has said he looked up to Cam.
— Chad Graff (@ChadGraff) October 28, 2025
(And, you know, because Maye is objectively playing well.) pic.twitter.com/yeDsop4uxk
When another former Patriot, Damien Woody, called Maye the best deep thrower in the league, Newton violently disagreed, saying that his competition hasn't been stiff and that the Patriots still aren't better than the Bills.
A hesitancy to call Maye the MVP or to say the Patriots are better than the Bills is understandable to a degree, but to be as petrified with a take like Woody's as Newton was seems unnecessary. Aside from Maye's affinity for Newton, we can take a look at the stats.
Aside from the data above, Maye is second in passer rating. His completion rate is also 10.8% above expectations, according to Next Gen Stats, while the next-highest delta is 8% (Darnold). For further context, Maye is expected to rank 24th in completion rate, but instead has the league's best rate.
As far as downfield passing specifically, Maye is far above the rest. In fact, since 1999, no player has had a higher downfield completion percentage (71%) or EPA (estimated points added) on throws of 10+ air yards. Given that we are only eight games into the season, Maye is playing at an MVP level.
Drake Maye is currently having the greatest downfield passing season of *all time*
— Brady Penn (@bradypenn21) October 28, 2025
By a wide margin. MayeVP? pic.twitter.com/gtCG91IuDK
The Patriots may not be a better team than the Bills in Newton's eyes, but they did beat them 23-20 in Week 5. Excluding Buffalo, the best defense the Patriots have played is Cleveland's, which now ranks 17th in PPG allowed after Maye's 30-point showing.
Sunday marked the third time the Browns allowed 30+ this year, with the other two times being against the Lamar Jackson-led Ravens and the third-ranked Lions offense: elite company.
Albeit the Patriots have an easy schedule in 2025, that shouldn't take away from the historic first eight games Drake Maye has played. For the first time since Tom Brady, it looks like the Patriots have an MVP-caliber quarterback again.