Drake Maye Has Response for Patriots Schedule Critics

There’s been no shortage of flowers for Drake Maye and the New England Patriots this season, and honestly, they’ve earned every petal.

New England just locked up the AFC East the loud way, torching the Jets on the road and getting a little help later when the Bills stumbled at home against the Eagles. Division clinched. Boxes checked. And with one week left, the Patriots are still very much alive in the race for the AFC’s No. 1 overall seed.

As for Maye? He might’ve slammed the door on the MVP debate in Week 17. While Matthew Stafford melted down in the Rams’ loss to the Falcons, Maye’s case only got stronger. Sometimes the MVP race doesn’t end with a speech. Sometimes it ends with your competition face-planting in primetime.

Bottom line: this has been a dream season in Foxborough. Wins piling up. Hardware in sight. Confidence sky-high. And yet… here comes the noise. Despite everything New England has done, there’s still a chunk of the NFL world squinting at the résumé, side-eyeing the Patriots over what they’re calling an “easy schedule.”

Drake Maye Shuts Down Patriots Schedule Talk

Drake Maye isn’t losing sleep over the “easy schedule” chatter, and he made that loud and

Clear. At a recent presser, the Patriots QB brushed off the narrative with a reality check that cut straight to the bone. NFL insider Ari Meirov shared the clip on X, captioning it, “#Patriots QB Drake Maye on the narrative that they’ve had an “easy” schedule”

#Patriots QB Drake Maye on the narrative that they’ve had an “easy” schedule:

“We play in the National Football League. Every team has great players. It’s not like we’re playing Foxborough High School down the road.”

(🎥 @Patriots) pic.twitter.com/PhUkENqDBk
— Ari Meirov (@MySportsUpdate) December 31, 2025

“We play in the National Football League,” Maye said in the video. “Every team has great players. It’s not like we’re playing Foxborough High School down the road.”

Point taken. And he’s not wrong. This isn’t college football, where a handful of powerhouses feast on overmatched opponents. In the NFL, every roster has dudes who can flip a game in one quarter.

New England still beat NFL teams. They still traveled. They still dominated when they were supposed to. Style points matter, and the Pats have stacked plenty of them.

Now comes the real test.

With the division wrapped up, the Patriots have locked in at least one playoff game at home. They’re currently sitting as the No. 2 seed, lined up to host the No. 7 seed on Wild Card Weekend. But there’s still movement on the board.

Win this week and get some help from the Chargers against the Broncos, and New England jumps to the No. 1 seed and grabs the bye. Slip up, and things could get dicey if the Jaguars handle the Titans.

Either way, the “easy schedule” talk is about to fade fast. January football has a way of settling arguments. And the Patriots are officially on the clock.

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