Patriots, led by 'conductor' Maye, first to 11 wins

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. -- Quarterback Drake Maye and the New England Patriots keep chugging along.

Maye turned in a masterful performance in a 33-15 beatdown of the visiting New York Giants on Monday night, going 24-of-31 for 282 yards, with 2 touchdowns and no interceptions as the Patriots improved to an NFL-best 11-2 heading into their bye week.

"I think he's realizing what he can be and what the impact that he makes on this offense and being our conductor," coach Mike Vrabel said. "He means a great deal to this football team."

The Patriots, who have won 10 straight games, next host the Buffalo Bills on Dec. 14 before a road trip to face the Baltimore Ravens on Dec. 21.

If the Patriots beat the Bills, they would clinch the AFC East, breaking Buffalo's streak of five straight division titles. The 2019 Patriots were the last team other than the Bills to win the AFC East.

"Bye week is huge. Felt like a long time coming, but we're here, and we have some important football after the bye week," said Maye, who leads the NFL with 3,412 passing yards and is the only qualified quarterback completing more than 70% of his passes this season (71.5%). "We're looking forward to getting healthy, get some guys back, and make a push."

What made Monday's victory so impressive was that the Patriots were short-handed in key areas, without starting left tackle Will Campbell (knee) and starting left guard Jared Wilson (ankle), along with two of their top three defensive tackles, Milton Williams (ankle) and Khyiris Tonga (chest), and All-Pro special teamer Brenden Schooler (ankle).

They attacked from the outset, scoring a field goal on their opening drive, getting a 94-yard punt return for a touchdown from Marcus Jones, and then feeding off the energy of a pad-thumping hit by linebacker Christian Elliss on quarterback Jaxson Dart along the right sideline to score a quick touchdown for a 17-0 lead late in the first quarter.

With the Patriots' win, their chances to be the No. 1 seed in the AFC went from 37% to 46%, according to ESPN Analytics.

When the 23-year-old Maye plays like he did Monday, the Patriots can be a tough team to beat. His touchdown passes -- 3 yards to receiver Kayshon Boutte and 33 yards to Kyle Williams -- were pinpoint against tight coverage.

It marked Maye's sixth game this season in which he completed 75% of his passes and had 2 touchdown passes, which ties Matt Ryan (2016) for the third most in a season behind Tom Brady (2007) and Jared Goff (2024). Brady and Ryan won the NFL's MVP award in those seasons.

"Just trying to be the face of the offense, trying to be the conductor -- want the pressure, want the ball in my hands," Maye said. "I know they feed off of me and feed off of my energy."

Maye is now the odds-on favorite to win MVP at DraftKings Sportsbook.

"It's been exciting," veteran receiver Stefon Diggs said. "He's a young quarterback, showing a lot of promise, a lot of confidence."