Love and Maye: Who is the better quarterback?

Drake Maye vs. Jordan Love: Which is the better quarterback?

It's the question nobody can agree on.

Green Bay Packers fans are loyal to Jordan Love.

New England Patriots fans are all in on Drake Maye.

Both teams are 5-3.

Both quarterbacks are in their fourth season as starters (Love) or third (Maye).

And both are stepping into the spotlight of a historic rivalry that used to belong to Aaron Rodgers and Tom Brady.

The last time these teams played in New England, in 2018, Tom Brady was under center.

The last time they played at all, in 2022, Aaron Rodgers was still a Packer.

Now it's Love vs. Maye — and the debate is real.

LOVE'S NUMBERS THIS SEASON

Jordan Love leads the NFL in passing yards.

He also leads in pass attempts.

That's a new development for a Packers offense that has historically run at a slow pace.

Love and Maye: Who is the better quarterback?

"We here at Acme Packing Company are careful not to judge quarterbacks on raw counting statistics unless they suit our needs," wrote one Packers analyst.

"For instance, we love Brett Favre's longevity stats, yards, and touchdowns, but when it comes to interceptions, for all QBs with at least 2500 attempts, he's 75th (out of 147). Not too shabby!"

But this year, the counting stats finally favor Love.

"Fast forward to THIS season and suddenly Jordan Love LEADS THE LEAGUE IN PASSING YARDS," the analyst noted.

"And also attempts, which is not as good, but still noteworthy."

Love's efficiency has dropped, though.

His EPA (Expected Points Added) per play is .15 this year.

That's down significantly from .289 last season.

He's still more efficient than the average quarterback.

But it's a big drop.

"With all that volume, plus a trash running game (and some other factors, which we will get to), he hasn't really been himself from an efficiency standpoint," the analyst wrote.

The Packers rank dead last in the NFL in rushing, averaging only 60.6 yards per game.

Love isn't worried.

"The run game isn't where it needs to be, but I think we've still been able to kind of adjust and still make plays," Love said.

"There's a lot more out there, but we've done a great job just being able to win these games by putting up some points, and that's what it comes down to."

MAYE'S NUMBERS THIS SEASON

Drake Maye had a rough start to the season.

But he has accounted for at least three touchdowns in each of his past five games.

The Patriots have won four of those five.

Last year, Maye was arguably the best quarterback in football.

He led the league in EPA per play (.322).

He also led in the NextGenStats version of Completion Percentage Over Expected (CPOE), which is widely regarded as the most accurate version.

"Maye is in his third season, and unquestionably great, but just how great is still a bit of a mystery," one analyst wrote.

Like Love, Maye didn't pass much last year.

He finished 12th in attempts with 492.

Love was 19th with 439, but missed two games.

They were very close on a per-game basis.

This year, Maye's numbers are still good.

He ranks third among active starters in EPA per play (.279).

That's down almost .05 from last year.

His volume has also fallen.

He ranks 17th in pass attempts.

His CPOE has decreased by over 50%.

He now ranks seventh instead of first.

THE HEAD-TO-HEAD COMPARISON

So who is having the better season?

"Maye is, I think, having an objectively better season than Love in all the ways that matter from an individual player perspective," the analyst wrote.

"However, Love has almost certainly been the more valuable player, because..."

The sentence trails off, but the implication is clear.

Love's value comes from carrying a team with no running game.

Maye's value comes from elite efficiency.

Two different paths to the same record.