Drake Maye misses out on NFL MVP, award goes to Matthew Stafford
Drake Maye had a spectacular second season with the New England Patriots. But the budding star fell short in his bid for NFL MVP. Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford took home the hardware Thursday during the NFL Honors award show in San Francisco, California.
MVP voting, organized by the Associated Press, took place in between the end of the regular season and the start of the playoffs. Stafford received 24 of 50 first-place votes and Maye received 23.
Drake Maye's impressive season
At just 23 years old and playing in his first full season in the league, Maye ascended quickly to stardom. He led the NFL with a completion percentage of 72.0% while also leading the league in yards gained per attempt (8.9), passer rating (113.5) and QBR (77.1).
Maye had 4,394 yards passing, 31 touchdowns, as well as 450 yards rushing and four touchdowns.
Behind Maye's spectacular season, the Patriots shocked the football world with their rapid turnaround from a 4-win team to the No. 2 seed in the AFC with a 14-3 record in the regular season.
New England will play the Seattle Seahawks on Sunday in Super Bowl LX.
The case for Matthew Stafford
Stafford finished his 17th season and had never won MVP, something that many believed could weigh heavily in the minds of some voters.
The Rams signal-caller topped Maye in several categories. Stafford ended the year with 4,707 passing yards, though he ran for just one yard on the year. Stafford also cleared Maye in touchdowns with 46 for the Rams. Stafford led the NFL in yards per game with 276.9.
Both Stafford and Maye had eight interceptions.
One aspect that drew plenty attention was the schedule of each candidate. While the Patriots played the easiest regular season schedule since the 1999 Rams, Stafford went up against a much more difficult path that included a stacked NFC West.
Supporters of Maye argued that he should have won the award because he did more with less talent around him and lower expectations individually and as a team heading into the season. Stafford, on the other hand, had elite wide receivers at his disposal in Puka Nacua and Davante Adams.
Drake Maye on MVP results
The Patriots quarterback was busy preparing for Super Bowl LX and was not in attendance when the results were announced.
On Wednesday, Maye was asked if would be disappointed by finishing second in voting behind Stafford.
"I'd be stoked for Matthew. What a career, what a year he's had. More important, speaking on the year he's had. Played at a really high level. Really every game you saw him making throws, making plays, leading that team at such a high level. What a year. Watching him on tape is always fun," Maye said. "He makes plays, and plays the quarterback position the right way. I appreciate that about quarterbacks in this league that I'm really fond of. And Matthew's one of them. It would be congrats to him on a great year and knowing that he's been one of the best to play this game. So it's been fun to watch."
Earlier Thursday night, Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel was named Coach of the Year and offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels won the Assistant Coach of the Year during the NFL Honors ceremony.