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Cover 32: Look out NFL, Drake Maye has his swagger back; plus games balls, biggest gaffes from Week 5

Drake Maye has erased his early-season struggles with a resurgent performance that reaffirmed his status as a potential MVP contender. In a 45-17 rout of the Las Vegas Raiders in Week 5, Maye dominated with a five-touchdown effort, completing 26 of 34 passes for 374 yards and four scores while adding 25 rushing yards and another touchdown.

His clean turnover-free game—marking the first time he’s achieved at least 300 passing yards, four passing touchdowns, and a rushing score in a single contest—highlighted a night-and-day improvement in his deep-ball accuracy. Maye connected on 72.7% of his throws of 10-plus air yards, setting season highs in passing yards (206) and touchdowns (three) while posting a 154.4 passer rating on those throws alone.

His ability to handle pressure has been the key to this turnaround: over the past two games, Maye has completed 12 of 26 passes under pressure for 136 yards and three touchdowns, with just two sacks and no interceptions—a stark contrast to his first three weeks, where he was sacked eight times and threw three turnovers in 42 pressured dropbacks. The Patriots’ offense, once teetering on the brink after a 1-2 start, has stabilized with Maye’s renewed form, propelling New England to its first .500 mark of the season after back-to-back AFC wins, including a decisive road victory over the Buffalo Bills.

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