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NFL MVP voters choose a winner based mostly on regular-season benefit, leaving playoff efficiency ostensibly out of sight.
If New England Patriots quarterback Drake Maye tackles his biggest problem up to now in Sunday’s AFC Divisional conflict with Houston, nevertheless, he’ll have earned different accolades befitting his rising star.
Maye leads the second-seeded Patriots right into a matchup in opposition to the Texans and their elite protection after steering a exceptional turnaround. New England went 14-3 this season, an inverse of its document from 2024, when Maye began 12 video games as a rookie.
Maye brings accuracy, mobility, and assuredness after passing for 268 yards and a landing and gaining 66 yards on the bottom to steer the Patriots to a 16-3 win in opposition to the Los Angeles Chargers within the wild-card spherical.
That kind of stat line makes it simple to overlook how Maye sputtered in opposition to visiting Houston in his first profession begin final season.
Maye joked that the Week 6 recreation “looks like 10 years in the past” however nonetheless recalled “type of simply making an attempt to remain alive on the market.”
He gamely gained composure, passing for 3 TDs. However there additionally was the matter of these two interceptions and 4 sacks — three by defensive finish Will Anderson Jr. — in a 41-21 defeat.
Danielle Hunter sacked Maye that day, too, and with Anderson Jr. has sparked one of many high edge-rushing tandems within the league. The duo mixed for 27 sacks throughout the common season for a protection that yielded the fewest yards within the NFL (5,079) and allowed the second-stingiest common factors per recreation (17.4).
The expertise of final season however, Maye realizes what the Houston ‘D’ brings to the desk.
“They fly round. They’re relentless,” he stated. “They’re nice up entrance, and nice on the again finish. They’ve received nice linebackers. They’re nice all-around. They’ve nice teaching. So we’ve received our arms full, and we all know it’s going to be a troublesome recreation.”
Houston acknowledges that Maye is way improved, too, with linebacker Azeez Al-Shaair utilizing a comparability from the kitchen to notice Maye’s tangible enhance in confidence.
“That’s anyone with something if you do one thing, you already know,” Al-Shaair stated. “You bake a cake for the primary time, most likely mess it up, and then you definitely do it once more, do it once more, do it once more, and it appears to be like higher, tastes higher subsequent time.”
Given his nimble methods within the pocket and 4.4 yards per carry within the common season, the 6-foot-4, 225-pound Maye possible constructed his stature on one thing aside from sweets.
Regardless of the case, the Texans are bracing to face greater than a budding pocket passer.
“These dudes now are massive, sturdy, quick. He’s actually greater than me, stronger than me, most likely simply as quick,” stated Al-Shaair, who’s listed at 6-2, 228. “And this can be a quarterback, you already know. I’m a linebacker.
“So, I believe you see stuff like that and then you definitely additionally see the flexibility to throw the ball downfield and also you combine that up with the play calling that they’ve and the run recreation that they’ve and it simply enhances every part nicely. That’s why he’s within the place he’s in.”
A victory Sunday would put the Patriots one win away from their first Tremendous Bowl within the put up–Invoice Belichick/Tom Brady period.
That might elevate Maye to legend standing in New England whether or not he takes MVP honors or not.
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