New England Patriots Secure AFC East Title

For the first time since Tom Brady’s final season with the franchise in 2019, the New England Patriots have once again claimed the AFC East title. This achievement came after a dominant 42-10 victory over their division rival, the New York Jets, last weekend. The win was secured due to the Buffalo Bills’ narrow 13-12 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles, which allowed the Patriots to lock up the division championship.

The Patriots are now in a strong position to secure the No. 1 seed in the AFC. All they need to do is defeat the Miami Dolphins on Sunday and hope that the Denver Broncos lose to the Los Angeles Chargers. If the Broncos manage to win in Week 18, regardless of what the Patriots do against the Dolphins, New England will drop to the No. 2 seed.

While the Patriots prepare for one AFC East opponent, another team that has nothing left to play for received some bad news from New England.

Drake Maye’s Performance Leads to Penalties

Drake Maye delivered a career performance against the Jets at MetLife Stadium. He threw for 256 yards, five touchdowns, and zero interceptions, achieving a near-perfect passer rating of 157.0. However, one of the most significant moments of the game involved Maye and could have had more serious consequences.

Late in the second quarter, on a third-and-6 play, Maye dropped back and launched a pass to Stefon Diggs. The pass was incomplete, but New England was fortunate as a 15-yard roughing-the-passer penalty was called. Jets defensive tackle Jowon Briggs and defensive end Jermaine Johnson both collided with Maye, but it was Johnson who was penalized after Maye took a hit to the face and collapsed to the turf.

On Saturday, the NFL announced that Johnson was fined $17,389 for a hit on a quarterback (blow to the head/neck). Additionally, two other Jets players, Jordan Clark and Isaiah Davis, were fined $4,703 and $5,686 respectively for taunting and using the helmet.

Maye Earns MVP Endorsement

Given Maye’s standout performance against the Jets, and the poor showing by Los Angeles Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford against the Atlanta Falcons (269 yards, 2 touchdowns, 3 interceptions), Maye has become the betting favorite to win the NFL MVP award.

Maye currently holds the best odds of winning the award (-295) according to DraftKings Sportsbook, followed by Stafford (+225), San Francisco 49ers running back Christian McCaffrey (+10000), and Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence (+10000).

While many around the league debate whether Maye should be chosen over Stafford given New England’s easier schedule, The Ringer’s Bill Simmons provided a compelling argument in favor of Maye.

“You go through the advanced metrics, it’s so convincing for Maye, it’s like you almost have to look twice,” Simmons said. “Not to sound like a Boston homer, but I think this is crazy. The Pats have the No. 1 offense by EPA, Maye is at the top of every category or in the top three in EPA. … Maye is running for his life in a lot of these games.

“He’s threading the needle on these long bombs; he’s had 12 of the greatest throws I’ve seen in the history of the Patriots this season, and Matthew Stafford has Puka Nacua, the best receiver in the league who catches 5 yard passes and runs for 60, he’s had Davante Adams for most of the season, he has a much better offensive line, he plays in doors, he has Sean McVay.

“But the big thing to me that I can’t believe isn’t part of this, the Rams, they’re the [expletive] 6 seed. The MVP almost always comes from the 1 seed or the 2 seed.”