The New England Patriots are well-rested following their Week 14 bye as they return to action on Sunday against the Buffalo Bills. With a win, the Patriots would clinch their first AFC East title since 2019 and complete a season sweep of the Bills, something that seems far more likely now than it did coming into the season, thanks to the MVP-caliber play from quarterback Drake Maye.
Maye has completed an NFL-best 71.5% of his throws to go along with 3,412 passing yards, 23 touchdowns, and six interceptions, plus an additional 319 yards and two TDs on the ground. As such, he heads into the weekend with the second-best NFL MVP odds (+210) on FanDuel Sportsbook.
However, Week 15 may be the biggest challenge yet in Maye's young NFL career. Not only because of the playoff implications at stake, but also due to the weather conditions. According to The Athletic's Chad Graff, "two to three inches of snow expected in Foxboro just before kickoff."
With a high of 32 degrees and Maye's first NFL game in the snow potentially on tap, the conditions will certainly not be ideal as he looks to lead New England back to AFC East supremacy and officially lock up a playoff spot in the process.
Colder Games Are Not Entirely New to Drake Maye, But Snow Is
While most of Maye's starts have come in warmer environments, he has some experience in colder-weather games. In a Week 16 encounter with the Bills last season, Maye was 22-of-36 for 261 yards with two TDs and one interception. Although his completion percentage dipped to 61.1%, his QBR (64.2) was his fourth-highest of the season, so he was still just as effective even though the Patriots suffered a 24-21 loss.
Coming off a season-low 51.6% completion against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers earlier this season, Maye responded by going 25-of-34 for 281 yards and one TD on a short week against the New York Jets, with the game-time temperature at 39 degrees. Even though head coach Mike Vrabel gave Maye and the team the option of practicing indoors ahead of the chilly Thursday night affair with the Jets, Maye expressed that he wanted "no shortcuts," per Conor Roche of ClutchPoints, which speaks to his determination and willingness to embrace whatever environment he steps into.
The snow will definitely create more challenges, but with Bills cornerback Christian Benford, who has an interception in back-to-back games, battling a toe injury, that could potentially free up some targets down the field for Maye. After all, Maye passed for 273 yards in the win over Buffalo earlier this season, so a banged-up Bills secondary should give him plenty of confidence before the rematch.
When snow is a factor, having a reliable run game is a must. Fortunately, that's an area the Patriots have greatly improved with the emergence of rookie TreVeyon Henderson. He is one of several rookies who have contributed to New England's success this season with 129 carries for 625 yards and five TDs. After a slow start to his rookie season, Henderson has taken advantage of a depleted RB room, posting double-digit carries in each of the last six games while adding 199 receiving yards and a TD, which could prove valuable on Sunday when downfield throws may not be as common in the less-than-ideal conditions.
With the usual AFC contenders struggling to make the playoffs right now, New England's path to the Super Bowl is looking clearer as QB Josh Allen and the Bills await on Sunday. There is not much to go off of, but if Maye has shown us anything so far, it is that he can adapt to anything and still produce regardless of the conditions he is facing, even if the gameplan may have to change slightly to combat the wintry conditions.