Drake Maye wasn't 100 percent during Patriots' blowout win over Jets

Second-year New England Patriots quarterback Drake Maye torched the New York Jets for five passing touchdowns in the club's 42-10 blowout win that improved the Patriots to 13-3 in Week 17.

It appears Maye wasn't 100 percent healthy when he took the MetLife Stadium field for the Week 17 clash. 

Drake Maye had a virus during Jets game?  

As Meghan Ottolini shared for Audacy, Maye revealed during a Monday appearance on Boston sports radio station WEEI that he was a bit under the weather on the final Sunday of December. 

"Yeah, I was just a little bit – runny nose, a little bit of a cough," Maye explained. "But shoot, we battled the elements and came out with the win, so that’s what mattered." 

Those who didn't see Maye coughing on the sideline during the game wouldn't have known he was dealing with any type of issue. He completed 19-of-21 passes for 256 yards with five scores and zero interceptions. He also rushed for 22 yards on three carries.  

After Matthew Stafford threw three interceptions in the Los Angeles Rams' upset 27-24 loss to the Atlanta Falcons on Monday night, DraftKings Sportsbook listed Maye as the betting favorite at -400 odds to win the regular-season Most Valuable Player Award on Tuesday.

According to Pro Football Reference, Maye ended Week 17 leading the NFL among qualified players with a 112.9 passer rating, a 71.7 percent completion percentage and an average of 8.9 yards gained per pass attempt on the season. He's second with a 76.5 adjusted QBR and tied for third with 30 touchdown passes. 

Drake Maye laughs off latest nickname

Maye's "Drake Maye" nickname has given members of the football community something to laugh about throughout the season. Some are now calling him "4K Maye" after he surpassed 4,000 total passing yards (4,203) for the campaign. 

"Jeez Louise, you’ve got to love these nicknames," Maye said about his latest moniker. "Now you’ve got my buddies saying that." 

If Maye builds upon his performance against the Jets, he could be known as a Super Bowl champion come February. Meanwhile, the Patriots would end Week 18 as the AFC's No. 1 playoff seed and have home-field advantage throughout the postseason if they beat the Miami Dolphins (7-9) on Jan. 4 and the 13-3 Denver Broncos fail to defeat the Los Angeles Chargers (11-5) that same afternoon.