Drake Maye and the New England Patriots showed off sharp new uniforms on Thursday night, and they played just as well as they have all season. The Pats are now 9 and 2, helped again by another strong game from TreVeyon Henderson.
But the real story continues to be Maye. He showed his potential as a rookie, but in his second year he has quickly grown into a star and even entered the MVP conversation. One stat captures how rare his run has been. OptaStats shared that only one quarterback in NFL history has ever produced an 11 game stretch with at least 2500 passing yards, 250 rushing yards, 20 touchdown passes, a 70 percent completion rate and an 80 percent winning record. That quarterback is Maye. No one has ever done it before at any point in a season.
This run has lifted the Patriots to the top of the AFC East and placed Maye firmly in the race for MVP. For a second year quarterback, the jump is impressive. Many players have strong rookie seasons and then stumble in their second year. Maye has been the opposite. He gets better every week, and the Patriots are already benefiting from the decision to draft him.