The first three games of the 2026 season were not the best showings for Drake Maye and the Patriots, particularly after a year that ended with a Super Bowl appearance and a near-MVP win for the young quarterback.
Although their struggles weren't entirely unexpected, Maye's apparent regression was, prompting many to question whether he was really the right quarterback for the team. Calls to bench him followed, with some fans already looking ahead to next year's draft for a replacement, as they concluded this version was the real him.
But a game in Buffalo against the undefeated Bills worked its magic for Maye again, as he had his best game of the season, stealing a road win in one of the league's most hostile environments, just as he did in Week 5 last year.
His performance, 22/37 receptions for 269 yards, 3 touchdowns, and 1 interception, along with 8 carries for 54 yards, earned him AFC Offensive Player of the Week, which was well deserved, and it was hard to imagine he could have done better.
Yet he did it against the Raiders this past Sunday, putting up an even better stat line against a top-10 pass defense, with only four receivers to work with. Given that, it was assumed he would be the frontrunner to win Player of the Week again, right?
Nope.
The NFL makes sure Drake Maye doesn't get too much credit for his performance against the Raiders
Arguably having the best quarterback performance in Week 5, Maye seemed like a shoe in to win the award again this week.
But that's not the case, as the league announced Steelers' running back Jaylen Warren was the winner instead, stripping Maye of the opportunity to win it on back-to-back weeks for the first time in his career.
AFC Players of the Week! (Week 5)@Nunless2 | @gregrousseau pic.twitter.com/wsavBPaARN
— NFL (@NFL) October 14, 2026
Although it doesn't mean a whole lot and this isn't necessarily something to get really upset about, it is a little frustrating to see just how much analysts and the NFL wanted to kick Maye when he was down over the first three weeks of the year, but are quick to ignore his stellar performances and choose not to acknowledge them as much as they would for others.
While they did that last week with his showing against the Bills, it would have been more fitting to see Maye rewarded for his more impressive game against the Raiders.
But at the end of the day, he is a Patriots quarterback, and everyone outside New England wants to see him fail, as they don't want to endure another decade of dominance after 20 years of losing to Bill Belichick and Tom Brady.
At least the Patriots fans who didn't jump on the bandwagon that Maye was a bust or irreparable can enjoy watching him bounce back, while also getting to enjoy seeing their upcoming opponents fear him again.
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