“M-V-P! M-V-P!”
It’s a chant we heard for years at Gillette Stadium for Tom Brady, and one we’ve heard pop up from time to time at TD Garden in recent years for Jayson Tatum. It’s been a while since we’ve heard it at Fenway, and I think you got pockets of it last season at Bruins games for David Pastrnak before the team bottomed out.
On Sunday in Foxborough, that three-letter mantra returned for second-year quarterback Drake Maye, as he helped power the Patriots (6-2) to their fifth consecutive victory with a 32-13 win over the Browns (2-6).
Despite throwing his worst pick of the season in the first quarter on top of being sacked 6 times (5 of which by All-World defensive end Myles Garrett), Maye’s 2025 brilliance was on full display yet again, going 18 for 24 as a passer for 282 yards and 3 touchdowns, good for a 135.8 passer rating. He also made an impact with his legs, picking up 50 rushing yards on 7 carries.
When you see a stat line like that to go along with a three-score victory, MVP chants are warranted. And heading into Monday, the sportsbooks agree, as Maye retains his third-position in the MVP-race as of publishing with even lower odds than he had heading into Week 8 (+450 at FanDuel, +500 at BetMGM).
Whether he ends the season with the award or not is secondary to the larger picture. What truly matters is that New England looks like they have their franchise guy, and that his play on the field is helping them beat the teams they’re supposed to beat - a hallmark of Brady’s tenure at 1 Patriot Place.
Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel was asked about the chants during his weekly visit with The Greg Hill Show on Monday.
“There were some pretty loud MVP chants when it came to Drake yesterday,” said WEEI’s Greg Hill. “He doesn't seem like somebody that you have to, you know, keep down at a certain level. But is that important going forward?”
“Well, we got the mid-season awards coming up here,” Vrabel said in jest. “It's about that time, they should be throwing all those around here. We'll be lined up to accept all those that they want to try to give us.”
Then, the sincerity came.
“But yeah - I think that he's a very, very important part of our success, and I'm happy that he's having personal success. He wants to continue to improve, and I think that there's a hunger for that. And I think he sees how important his, not only performance, but just the way that he operates and functions, how important that is to the offense and our football team.”
“As someone who sees him every single day, though, do you think that the fans, the media, are jumping the gun, or is he as good as we all believe him to be?” WEEI’s Courtney Cox followed up.
“Well, I mean, I think we’re really happy that he’s our quarterback,” said Vrabel. “Being able to play with the efficiency - and I know the interception yesterday - but you know, playing with the efficiency that he has, and the ability to extend plays, his accuracy down the field, is fun, you know?
“I mean, just don't want to take things for granted. But it's like - it's gonna be to [Kayshon] Boutte and it, like, hasn't even left his hand yet. And everybody's like, ‘Touchdown, touchdown.’ I was like, ‘Hold our horses.’ OK, touchdown.”
That touchdown toss to Boutte in particular is maybe what’s most special about Maye this season, as his downfield accuracy is as elite as we’ve seen in this league in a long time. And when you continue to stack moments like that across a season, that’s when you give yourself a real chance to start winning awards once the regular season comes to an end.
He’ll have another chance to toss some pretty deep balls in Week 9, as the Falcons (3-4) come to town having just been blown out by the Dolphins (2-6) 34-10.
As of publishing, the Patriots are a 4.5-point favorite over Atlanta, sitting at -235 on the moneyline. The total is set at 45.5.
If Falcons starting quarterback Michael Penix Jr. is unable to go again on Sunday, look for that number to climb for New England even further.
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.