Patriots, MVP and Browns
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In five of their last six games, the Patriots have allowed their opponents to come away with points on their opening offensive series.
That’s right: Drake Maye is currently third on the MVP betting board (+500) and Jonathan Taylor — a running back! — is in eighth (+1800). That puts them ahead of luminaries like Jalen Hurts, Jared Goff and Lamar Jackson.
It's a rapid ascent for Maye, the No. 3 overall pick at the 2024 NFL Draft. The last time the home crowd saw him, he had managed to help the Patriots claw back to .500 on the season at 2-2 in what was a blowout win over Carolina. At the time, the expectation was for the team to simply stabilize and remain in wild card contention.
Patriots quarterback Drake Maye and tight end Hunter Henry connected for a touchdown in Sunday's Week 8 game against the Browns.