New England Patriots quarterback Drake Maye is one of the biggest stories in the NFL entering Week 8.
With his torrid six-game stretch of performances with at least 200 passing yards and a plus-100 passer rating while being under 24 years old, Maye has joined some exclusive company.
The second-year pro is not only making Patriots history, but has officially entered the MVP conversation near the midway point of the season as well.
Patriots beat writer Andrew Callahan of the Boston Herald highlighted what he called the most “absurd” stat for Maye through seven weeks on Friday.
Maye has a perfect passer rating on “deep throws,” defined as pass attempts over 20 yards.
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“A perfect, sparkling, maxed-out 158.3 rating,” Callahan wrote. “Maye is 14-of-18 for 414 yards and five touchdowns on passes longer than 20 yards downfield, according to Pro Football Focus. His completion percentage on deep passes is higher than his overall percentage, 75.2%, which leads the league. Maye hit two deep balls last week against Tennessee, his 39-yard touchdown to Kayshon Boutte during a two-minute drill and a sideline shot to Mack Hollins he realized would be open before the snap.”
Callahan added that while Maye has “faced two-deep coverage on more than 41.5% of his dropbacks, one of the highest rates in the league” — according to Sports Info. Solutions — the 2024 Pro Bowler is “still connecting anyway.”
Maye will face one of his toughest tests of the fall on Sunday when New England hosts the Cleveland Browns, who rank third in the league in passing yards per game allowed (173.7).
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