The New England Patriot second-year signal caller got to the bottom of the critiques of the team's regular season schedule.
Ever since the Week 5 win over the Buffalo Bills, the New England Patriots have steamrolled everyone in their way. Until Week 15, when the Bills would get their revenge at Gillette Stadium.
In between those games, the Patriots have garnered a lot of praise, but on the flip side, they've been criticized for having the league's easiest schedule.
At 13-3, the Patriots have defeated the Jets (twice), Giants, Browns, Titans, Bengals, Saints, and Falcons, all of which have been eliminated from playoff contention for some time now. Outside of that, they have beaten the Bills (once), Dolphins (once), Ravens, who are in the mix to rally into the playoffs come Sunday, and the Buccaneers and Panthers, who play each other, and the winner clinches the NFC South on Sunday.
After two 4-13 seasons in a row, and with optimism in the air, even many Boston sports analysts believed that there were a lot of winnable games for Drake Maye and Mike Vrabel.
But are the Patriots to actually be criticized for the cards they're dealt in terms of who they play?
Their quarterback does not think so.
Drake Maye capped off 2025 by speaking with the media on Wednesday and had a funny response to the schedule-related criticisms the team has received during the back half of the year.
“We play in the National Football League. Every team’s got great players. They get paid a lot of money,” Maye said. “So, it’s not like we’re playing, shoot, Foxborough High School down the road. We play who’s on our schedule. We can’t control that. Just trying to go out there and try to win. A lot of these teams that we do play are good, and they’re in the National Football League for a reason.”
The Patriots' schedule criticisms have been debated a lot over the last few weeks; the real reason the topic has been so popular seems to stem from the fact that the second-year quarterback has edged his way into the MVP conversation, ahead of Los Angeles Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford.
Maye commented on Stafford's play as well on Wednesday.
“I saw him play here last year, and he was fun to watch,” Maye said. “I’ve watched him on tape a lot, some crossover games, and he’s special with the football. The way he throws it and how he fits it in tight windows. His no-look (passes)—he’s got some swagger. So big fan of his game. I know I played him last year and talked to him briefly after the game, but I probably should have went up before the game. I’ve been a big fan for a long time of his. Just talk about natural throwers and any platform, any angle; it’s at a really high level. It’s been fun watching him.”
The Patriots undoubtedly can't pick who they play; that's the NFL that decides, but if you take a peek at next year's schedule, the Pats do have a lot more stiff competition now that Drake "The Schedule" Maye and company have found their footing as a powerhouse squad.