Watching Drake Maye crumble under pressure against the Seattle Seahawks prompted a Super Bowl champion to trash the idea the New England Patriots quarterback deserved to be named NFL MVP, instead of his Los Angeles Rams counterpart Matthew Stafford.
As former safety Eric Weddle put it, “Staff vs Seahawks looks a bit different than Maye. We know what we’re talking about when it comes to MVP and levels to QB play.”
Weddle lifted the Vince Lombardi Trophy alongside Stafford as a member of the 2021 Rams, so he had some incentive for backing his former teammate. Yet, the six-time Pro Bowler and five-time All-Pro wasn’t the only one who seized upon Maye’s miserable outing during the the Pats’ 29-13 defeat at Levi’s Stadium in Super Bowl LX to say ‘I told you so’ about Stafford.
Drake Maye Skewered by Matthew Stafford Comparisons
Taking six sacks, losing a fumble and throwing two interceptions, including a pick-six, left Maye open to some harsh criticism. Particularly from those determined to double down on the second-year QB not being a worthy MVP alternative to Stafford.
Weddle’s take was echoed by NFL writer Scott Kacsmar, who cited Pro Football Reference to provide a blunt “Reminder: Matthew Stafford threw 20 more TDs against winning teams than Drake ‘The Schedule’ Maye.”
Profiting from a soft schedule is an accusation Maye and the Pats had to fend off all through the playoffs. They were able to shrug off this critique thanks to their own smothering defense, but Maye remained erratic headed into the big game.
An ongoing shoulder injury that needed some pre-Super Bowl relief, per ESPN’s Mike Reiss, hardly helped his cause, but Maye was always going to be challenged by the Seahawks. The owners of the league’s toughest defense throw a lot at quarterbacks, including disguised and combination coverages, along with a sophisticated package of blitzes.
Maye saw all of these things in the Super Bowl and he couldn’t handle the confusion and intensity. His struggles left Will Brinson of CBS Sports to conclude, “Matthew Stafford versus Drake Maye in the MVP race shouldn’t have been as close as it was and this game against this defense is concrete proof.”
The misfortunes of Maye against the Seahawks were in sharp contrast to how Stafford fared. Unlike Maye, the 38-year-old had to deal with this awesome defense three times during the season.
Stafford produced mightily different results when he “threw for 8 touchdowns 0 interceptions and 961 yards against this Seahawks defense, per Holden Cantor, who also sent a “Shoutout to the MVP voters that voted Stafford.”
Stafford’s numbers in those games may settle the MVP debate for many, but they also show the work the Patriots still need to do to better support their own star signal-caller.
Super Bowl Flop Showed Where Patriots Need Help
Maye flopped on the biggest stage, but he was hardly helped by those around him. Specifically, by a crumbling offensive line undermined by rookie left tackle Will Campbell continuing his own postseason nightmare.
Contrast the group in front of Maye with those who protected Stafford. The Rams field quality blockers like tackle Alaric Jackson and guards Steve Avila and Kevin Dotson.
Stafford also gets to throw to a pair of All-Pro wide receivers, Puka Nacua and Davante Adams. Maye has some useful targets, like 1,000-yard receiver Stefon Diggs, but his supporting cast isn’t as strong.
Bridging this gap in strength must be the focus of the offseason for the Patriots. Maye has enough natural athletic talent to keep the team in the Super Bowl mix, but he won’t do it without more help.
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