Why NFL MVP Voter Chose Patriots’ Drake Maye For Award

New England Patriots fans know before Thursday night’s announcement that Drake Maye received at least one MVP vote.

ESPN analyst Mina Kimes revealed on “First Take” that she voted for the Patriots quarterback. Kimes thinks Matthew Stafford will win, but the “NFL Live” contributor feels Maye is the deserving choice.

“I didn’t know who gets it. I would say Stafford,” Kimes said. “But I’m an MVP voter, and I voted for Drake Maye. And I’m right.”

Kimes explained that she looked for “dominance and value” when choosing an MVP. Stafford accrued more passing yards (4,707) and touchdowns (46), but Maye outperformed the Los Angeles Rams veteran in most key metrics.

“From a dominance perspective, Drake Maye was better than Matthew Stafford in just about every meaningful statistic,” Kimes declared. “QBR, EPA per dropback, success rate. He had the highest completion percentage in the NFL. He was first in all of those, despite having a high average depth of target.

“On top of that, he was the more efficient quarterback. He also brought an element of rushing you just don’t get from Matthew Stafford.”

New England’s schedule is often cited as a case against Maye, but Kimes noted that the Patriots didn’t face a significantly worse slate of defenses than the Rams. Maye also fared better than Stafford against common opponents.

Furthermore, Kimes argued that Stafford benefited from a superior supporting cast. Despite a dominant postseason, New England’s defense ranked 23rd in DVOA during the regular season.

The Rams boasted a more prolific ground game, and Stafford also had an elite pass-catcher to target.

“I like the Patriots’ receivers. They ain’t Puka Nacua,” Kimes said. “So when you look at who carried their team more, who did more with less from a value perspective — in addition to the statistical dominance — to me it is clearly Drake Maye.”