Drake Maye Responds to Criticism of Patriots' Strength of Schedule amid Playoff Race

New England Patriots quarterback Drake Maye had a response to critics who say the AFC East champions have benefitted from an easy schedule this year (6:35 mark).

"We play in the National Football League," Maye said. "Every team's got great players that get paid a lot of money. It's not like we're playing Foxborough High School down the road. We play whoever's on our schedule, and we can't control that, and just trying to go out there and win, and a lot of teams we do play are good and they're in the National Football League for a reason."

(In case you're wondering, Foxborough High School had a very good season, going 9-4 overall and reaching the finals of the Division 5 MIAA Football State Championship.)

The Patriots have been sensational in Mike Vrabel's first season as head coach, going 13-3 overall. New England has outscored its opponents by 142 points, which is the third-highest point differential in the NFL (and tops in the AFC). Maye has also been great and now sits as the clear favorite to win NFL MVP, per DraftKings Sportsbook.

The Pats have also benefitted from an easy schedule, with their lone victory against a team with a winning record occurring on Oct. 5 against the now 11-5 Buffalo Bills. That was an impressive 23-20 win that eventually led to the Patriots' division title.

However, to Maye's point, they can't control who they play on their schedule. It also doesn't matter, as we'll find out how the Patriots do against tougher competition soon enough with the playoffs upcoming anyway. The talk about the Pats benefitting from a weak schedule will evaporate if they take care of business.

We'll see how the Pats fare soon enough. They are currently the No. 2 seed and will host the No. 7 seed in the AFC Wild Card round in two weekends if that holds. They will rise to No. 1 if they beat the New York Jets and the Denver Broncos lose to the Los Angeles Chargers. They can also fall to No. 3 if they lose and the Jacksonville Jaguars beat the Tennessee Titans.