For the first time in his young NFL career, New England Patriots Drake Maye has been named the AFC's Offensive Player of the Month.

Maye wins the award for October after leading the Patriots to a 3-1 record over four weeks of play, and turning around a slow start, following last year's Super Bowl LX appearance.

From Oct. 1 to Nov. 1, Maye threw for 1,398 passing yards, had 17 total touchdowns, and an average passer rating of 122.2. His 67.4% completion rate contributes to his nomination as player of the month.

October belongs to @DrakeMaye2 🤩 pic.twitter.com/VDlWFOadC0

— New England Patriots (@Patriots) November 5, 2026

Beating Out The Competition

Maye earns the nod as AFC Offensive Player of the Month in a competitive decision that saw the likes of Josh Allen, Jaylen Warren, and Kenneth Walker IV — September's AFC Offensive Player of the Month.

Maye turned around his season after putting up a 1-2 record in September, which saw the third-year player turn the ball over seven times and throw just one touchdown.

After a remarkable month of October, Maye becomes the first Patriot to win AFC Offensive Player of the Month since Tom Brady did so in November of 2017.

In the last 5 weeks…

Drake Maye is #1 among all QBs in:
🏅 Total yards
🏅 Total TDs
🏅 EPA
🏅 Passer Rating

Despite the following…

⚠️ Injuries to his WR1, WR2, WR3, TE1, RB2, LG and RG

⚠️ Pressured at the 4th highest rate in the NFL

⚠️ Playing with one of the league's… pic.twitter.com/xAeJX1jkP4

— Daniel Rotman (@daniel_rotman15) November 4, 2026

Best Of The Best Over The Past 5 Weeks

Over the course of the past five weeks, Maye has led the NFL in total yards, passing touchdowns, EPA (expected points added), and passer rating.

Maye is currently sixth in passing yards on the season (1,983) and tied for fifth in touchdown passes (15). Over the past two seasons, Maye holds the lead for touchdown passes of 30-plus yards, including two that he threw to Kyle Williams and DeMario Douglas in Week 8's win against the Miami Dolphins.

What makes Maye's recent success even more impressive is his ability to dominate with a weakened supporting cast. Maye has had his top-three receivers miss a combined six games due to injury, leaving last year's MVP runner-up to spread the ball around to other skill position players.

Earlier in October, Maye was asked if he's had to intentionally spread the ball around to build the confidence of his teammates.

"I try not to have that in the back of my mind," Maye said. "I was like that a little bit in high school, to be honest with you, of wanting – especially when we would run it up on teams in high school – to try to spread it around and get guys touches."

He's also used his legs to give the Patriots an advantage, running for 129 yards and two touchdowns throughout the October window of play.

On Thursday, Maye appeared on Rob Gronkowski and Julian Edelman's show on Fox, Gronk and Jules. He reflected on the turnaround this season, saying,"you got to realize that turning over the football is not going to help us win games."

"Realizing that the work you put in week-in and week-out is going to end up paying off, and not losing sight of trying to change things up."

Maye's October success has paid off for the Patriots, who now hold a 5-3 record as the calendar turns to November. Now they have the AFC Offensive Player of the Month leading their team.