Patriots' Drake Maye hits back at critics amid perceived MVP battle vs. Matthew Stafford

Football fans and other members of the NFL community seem convinced that either New England Patriots second-year quarterback Drake Maye or Matthew Stafford of the Los Angeles Rams will ultimately be named the Most Valuable Player for the ongoing regular season.

Some have said that the Patriots' "easy schedule" has given Maye an unfair advantage over Stafford regarding the MVP race. While speaking with reporters on Wednesday, Maye responded to such takes. 

Drake Maye, Patriots can only "play who’s on our schedule" 

"We play in the National Football League," Maye said, per Mark Daniels of MassLive. "Every team’s got great players. They get paid a lot of money. So, it’s not like we’re playing, shoot, Foxborough High School down the road. We play who’s on our schedule. We can’t control that. Just trying to go out there and try to win. A lot of these teams that we do play are good, and they’re in the National Football League for a reason."

While the 11-5 Buffalo Bills are the only AFC East team other than the Patriots (13-3) that will end the season with a winning record, the Rams share the NFC West with the 13-3 Seattle Seahawks and the 12-4
San Francisco 49ers. Nevertheless, DraftKings Sportsbook had Maye as the betting favorite at -295 odds to win the MVP Award as of Thursday morning. At that time, Stafford was second on the list at +225 odds. 

Drake Maye is a big Matthew Stafford fan

"I saw him play here last year and he was fun to watch," Maye said of Stafford. "I’ve watched him on tape a lot, some crossover games, and he’s special with the football. The way he throws it and how he fits it in tight windows. His no-look (passes), he’s got some swagger. So, big fan of his game."

Pro Football Reference shows that Maye leads the NFL among qualified players with a 112.9 passer rating and a 71.7 percent completion percentage. He's second with a 76.5 adjusted QBR, tied for third with 30 touchdown passes and fourth with 4,203 passing yards. 

To compare, Stafford leads the league with 42 touchdowns through the air. He's second with 4,448 passing yards, second with a 108.8 passer rating and fifth with a 70.1 adjusted QBR.

"I know I played him last year and talked to him briefly after the game, but I probably should have went up before the game," Maye added about Stafford. "I’ve been a big fan for a long time of his. Just talk about natural throwers and any platform, any angle, it’s at a really high level. It’s been fun watching him."

Perhaps the two signal-callers will next see each other on a football field in February.