It’s been a glorious month-plus run for the Patriots (7-2), who are in the midst of a six-game win streak after squeaking past the Falcons (3-5) in Week 9 at Gillette Stadium.
They’ve beaten teams conventional wisdom said were better than them. They’ve blown out teams they were supposed to. They’ve come back and beaten teams into the ground. And in Week 9, their close win over Atlanta helped complete the bingo card for types of wins a good team has over the course of a season.
With this success has now come expectations, both from fans and media as well as the sportsbooks.
As of publishing:
- FanDuel has the Patriots with the 11th-lowest odds to win the Super Bowl, currently sitting at +3000
- A variety of books have Mike Vrabel with the second-lowest odds to win 2025 NFL Coach of Year, currently sitting at +180 at DraftKings after the market opened at +750 this offseason
- Quarterback Drake Maye has the second-lowest odds to win 2025 NFL MVP, with BetMGM listing the second-year QB at +450. He’s just one spot behind division rival Josh Allen, who currently sits at +160 at the same book
Week after week, the chatter around Maye’s candidacy for football’s top honor grows, with fans loudly chanting “MVP! MVP!” as he routinely makes big plays on Sundays at 1 Patriot Place. And while Week 9 was one of his more inconsistent games of the 2025 season, he’s reached a point where the poor play of others towards the top of the MVP race actually helped vault him up the ladder.
The momentum is real. And with the oft-discussed easy schedule ahead, Maye is likely (health permitting) to continue stacking great performances while his team adds Ws to the wins column. And with a late-season head-to-head with Allen slated for Week 15, he may have the opportunity to fully grab the award away from the league’s defending most valuable player while the entire nation watches (because that one is 100% getting flexed into a primetime window).
Through nine games, should Maye be the favorite to win the award?
Patriots wide receiver DeMario Douglas was asked about his QB’s candidacy on Friday’s edition of The Greg Hill Show.
“Yes,” said Douglas. “I would say it. That’s my QB. Definitely yes.
“You know, it’s our job to help him get there. I’d be excited, man, [if] he win in year two. MVP? That’s tough.”
Short and sweet, but you could hear how genuinely happy he was for his teammate to be in this discussion at this point in the season. That didn’t sound like lip service from the diminutive third-year receiver out of Liberty.
And you can understand why, as Maye has helped Douglas explode in recent weeks, becoming one of the North Carolina-product’s most reliable pass catchers downfield. In Week 9 alone, Douglas had both a 58-yard catch and a 17-yard touchdown grab, showing the chemistry he has with Maye is not just a flash in the pan. After a slow start to the season where Douglas had just 7 catches for 30 receiving yards and 1 touchdown through five games, "Pop" has his season totals up to 18 catches for 262 yards and 3 touchdowns.
Maye and Douglas look to make it seven in a row in Week 10, as they’ll hit the road for a game against the Buccaneers (6-2). As of publishing, the Patriots are a 2.5-point underdog, and sit on the moneyline at +125.
Tune in each and every Monday throughout the football season to Patriots Monday on WEEI. Head coach Mike Vrabel joins The Greg Hill Show at 6:30 a.m. ET, and quarterback Drake Maye joins WEEI Afternoons.