New England Patriots - NESN.com
Drake Maye and the New England Patriots are facing a massive opportunity in Week 10. If Maye and the Pats can pull off a road victory against a tough Tampa Bay Buccaneers squad, New England can maintain its grip on first place in the AFC East and lend further credence to their status as Super Bowl contenders. For Maye, a win paired with a solid individual performance could also vault him into frontrunner status for NFL MVP.
Hours ahead of the Patriots-Buccaneers battle, SI’s Mike Kadlick predicted that all of the above would come to pass.
“Among the many reasons why the Patriots have been one of the NFL’s most surprising teams in 2025 is the play of second-year quarterback Drake Maye,” Kadlick wrote.
“Through nine weeks, Maye leads the NFL in completion percentage (74.1%), completion percentage over expected (+9.6%), and EPA (+73.3) while also ranking fifth in passing yards (2,285), tied fourth in touchdowns (17), and second in passer rating (116.9).”
“At just 23 years old, Maye has taken the league by storm and has cemented himself a consensus MVP candidate by helping New England turn back into a contender,” Kadlick continued. “The Patriots will need him to shine again this weekend if they want to notch their eighth win of the year—and I’m predicting he will. Look for Maye to top 300 passing yards for the first time in his career, account for three or more total touchdowns, not turn the football over, and come out of the weekend as the NFL’s MVP front-runner.”
Even if Maye produces, the Patriots will still need to contain Tampa Bay’s offense, which is led by another MVP candidate, Baker Mayfield. The Bucs are missing some key players on offense, which could make things more difficult for Baker.
New England is riding a six game win streak heading into Tampa, with a 4-0 record on the road this season.
