NFL MVP voters select a winner based on their merits in the regular season, ostensibly leaving playoff performances out of sight.
If New England Patriots quarterback Drake Maye faces his biggest challenge yet in Sunday’s AFC Divisional clash against Houston, he will have earned other accolades worthy of his rising star.
Maye leads the second-seeded Patriots into a matchup against the Texans and their elite defense after completing a remarkable turnaround. New England went 14-3 this season, the reverse of its record in 2024, when Maye started 12 games as a rookie.
Maye brings precision, mobility and poise after passing for 268 yards and a touchdown and gaining 66 yards rushing to lead the Patriots to a 16-3 victory over the Los Angeles Chargers in the wild-card round.
That kind of stat line makes it easy to forget how Maye sputtered against visiting Houston in his first career start last season.
Maye joked that the Week 6 game “feels like 10 years ago” but still remembers “just trying to stay alive out there.”
He regained his composure, passing for three touchdowns. But there was also the matter of those two interceptions and four sacks – three by defensive end Will Anderson Jr. – in a 41-21 loss.
Danielle Hunter also sacked Maye that day and, along with Anderson Jr., sparked one of the best tandems in the league. The duo combined for 27 sacks during the regular season for a defense that yielded the fewest yards in the NFL (5,079) and allowed the second-highest points per game average (17.4).
Despite last season’s experience, Maye realizes what Houston’s “D” brings to the table.
“They fly everywhere. They are relentless,” he said. “They’re great up front and great running back. They’ve got great linebackers. They’re great in all areas. They’ve got a great coach. So we’ve got our hands full and we know it’s going to be a tough game.”
Houston acknowledges that Maye has also improved a lot, with linebacker Azeez Al-Shaair using a kitchen comparison to note the tangible increase in Maye’s confidence.
“It’s anyone who has something when you do something, you know,” Al-Shaair said. “You make a cake for the first time, you probably mess it up, then you make it again, you make it again, you make it again, and it’s better, it tastes better next time. »
Given his agility in the pocket and 4.4 yards per carry in the regular season, the 6-foot-4, 225-pound Maye likely built his stature on something other than candy.
Either way, the Texans are preparing to face more than just a budding pocket passer.
“These guys now are big, strong, fast. He’s literally bigger than me, stronger than me, probably just as fast,” said Al-Shaair, who is 6-2, 228. “And he’s a quarterback, you know. I’m a linebacker.
“So I think you see things like that and then you also see the ability to throw the ball downfield and you mix that with the game that they have and the running game that they have and that complements everything well. That’s why he’s in the position that he’s in.”
A win on Sunday would put the Patriots one victory away from their first Super Bowl in the post-Bill Belichick/Tom Brady era.
This could elevate Maye to legendary status in New England, whether or not he wins MVP honors.
