Patriots QB Drake Maye wins AFC Offensive Player of the Month

Patriots quarterback Drake Maye has been named the AFC Offensive Player of the Month for October, the NFL announced Wednesday.

It is the first monthly award of Maye's NFL career.

The 24-year-old Patriots captain earned the honor after completing 67.2 percent of his passes for 1,199 yards, 12 touchdowns, two interceptions and a 119.0 passer rating across four October starts.

He also added 129 rushing yards and two touchdowns on the ground.

New England went 3-1 in those games, with wins over the Buffalo Bills, Las Vegas Raiders, New York Jets and Chicago Bears.

The only loss came against the Bills in a game Maye still played well in.

Maye's 12 touchdown passes and 119.0 passer rating led all AFC quarterbacks in October.

No other quarterback in the conference finished ahead of him in either category before the calendar turned to November.

Along the way, Maye also earned AFC Offensive Player of the Week honors for his performance in the 29-26 upset win over the Bills at Highmark Stadium.

That game marked a breakthrough moment for the second-year quarterback.

A week later, Maye delivered one of the best statistical performances in NFL history.

In a 45-17 rout of the Jets at Gillette Stadium, Maye became the youngest player ever with at least 350 passing yards, four touchdown passes, a passer rating of 150 or higher and a rushing touchdown in a single game.

That performance put the league on notice.

Maye now stands as the third Patriots quarterback ever to win AFC Offensive Player of the Month.

He joins Tom Brady, who won the award 10 times, and Drew Bledsoe, who won it once.

Maye is also just the second North Carolina product to receive the honor, following former Tar Heels running back Natrone Means.

The Patriots selected Maye with the No. 3 overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft.

He finished his rookie season as the league's MVP runner-up and an All-Pro selection.

This season, Maye has thrown for 1,983 yards and 15 touchdowns with a 67.1 percent completion rate, which ranks seventh in the NFL.

His deep ball accuracy has been a key factor in his success.

Last season, Maye led the league in deep ball completion percentage at 72 percent and yards per completion at 8.9.

This season, according to Next Gen Stats, he ranks second in the league in average completed air yards at 7.5, trailing only Lamar Jackson.

Maye is also fifth in completions of 40-plus yards.

In an interview with former Patriots wide receiver Julian Edelman on Fox Sports' "Gronk and Jules Show," Maye explained his approach to throwing the deep ball.

"In college we were big on throwing over the shoulder, and throwing deep balls over the shoulder, and kind of letting them come right over the top and on the outside," Maye said.

"I've realized that it's something that you really have to work on."

Maye said he puts in extra time with his receivers after practice to refine those throws.

"After practice, I love just throwing to those guys on the side whether it's 10-15 yards, just throw them ones on the right it's going to tail a little more right and on the left it's going to tail a little more inside," he said.

"Just kind of learning those little things and doing them after practice so those guys can get a feel for it."

Maye began November with another strong performance.

He completed 16 of 20 passes for 199 yards with two passing touchdowns and one rushing touchdown against the Miami Dolphins at Hard Rock Stadium.

The Patriots trailed 13-3 at halftime before Maye led a 24-19 comeback victory.

He had just one incompletion after halftime.

The win improved New England's record to 5-3 on the season.

Head coach Mike Vrabel's team now sits in second place in the AFC East behind the Buffalo Bills.

Former Patriots tight end and future Hall of Famer Rob Gronkowski recently offered Maye some advice.

Gronkowski appeared on the "Up & Adams" show and said the most important thing Maye can do is focus on communication with his teammates.

"The only thing that matters for a great quarterback is communication," Gronkowski said.

He wants Maye to stay in sync with his wide receivers and offensive line so the game feels easy.

Gronkowski also stressed that talk is cheap unless it is backed by preparation.

"You cannot fake it in the NFL," he said.

Maye appears to already have that mindset.

When asked about Tom Brady returning to Gillette Stadium on Sunday to call the Patriots-Packers game for Fox Sports, Maye said he does not get nervous about it.

Maye said he does not even talk to Brady during production because Brady is with the Raiders.

He does not watch his own TV copies unless he spots a mistake that hurt the team.

That level of focus is exactly what Gronkowski is asking for.

The Patriots will need it against a Green Bay defense that can disrupt passing games.

New England will also get some help on the offensive line.