Drake Maye Reacts to Win vs. Giants amid MVP Race, Stefon Diggs Hypes Patriots' QB

Another brilliant performance from Drake Maye has the New England Patriots riding a 10-game winning streak and sitting in pole position for the No. 1 seed in the AFC playoffs.

Following the Patriots' 33-15 victory over the New York Giants on Monday night, Maye told reporters he has no problem taking on the pressure of the quarterback position after head coach Mike Vrabel dubbed him "the conductor" for the offense:

"Shoot, just trying to be the face, trying to be the conductor. He calls it 'the conductor of the offense.' Just trying to be the face of the offense. You know, want the pressure. You want the ball in my hands. I tried to show that all year and throughout my career. That's what I kind of feel like. I know they feed off of me and feed off of my energy and feed off of what I say to those guys. And what I say means something to them. So when adversity hits, I've got to respond. And from there I've got to be the same guy—same guy every day. Don't try to change and just be myself. That's what the guys like the most."

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Stefon Diggs praised Maye's growing "confidence" with each passing week.

"It's been exciting," the Patriots receiver told reporters. "He's a young quarterback, showing a lot of promise, a lot of confidence."

There was some uncertainty about how effective New England's offense would look in this matchup against a Giants team with a good pass-rush. The Patriots were missing starting left guard Jared Wilson and left tackle Will Campbell due to injuries.

Maye had no problems dicing up New York's defense. He finished 24-of-31 for 282 yards and two touchdowns. The second-year quarterback leads the NFL in completion percentage (71.2), passing yards (3,412) and air yards per attempt (9.3). His 72.8 QBR ranks fourth.

After Matthew Stafford had arguably his worst game of the season on Sunday with three turnovers in the Los Angeles Rams' 31-28 loss to the Carolina Panthers, the already-tight MVP race got even closer.

Maye might have just put himself in the top spot with a great showing on a nationally televised game. The Patriots (11-2) are heading into their bye this week with a slight edge over the Denver Broncos (10-2) for the top spot in the AFC playoffs.

The next hurdle for Maye in the MVP race will be a huge showdown against Josh Allen and the Buffalo Bills in Week 15. If he plays well in that game and the Patriots win, it would be hard to deny his case for the award.

Tom Brady is the only player in Patriots history to win the NFL MVP award. He received the honor three times in his storied career.