MVP Showdown: Unbelievable Sunday Clash Leaves Fans Speechless

Ever wonder if the NFL schedulers toss darts blindfolded when setting the weekly matchups? Some weeks we’re treated to prime-time showdowns worthy of pay-per-view, and other weeks, well… let’s just say the couch calls louder than the game. This Sunday’s slate is heavy on the snooze-fest side, but lucky for us, the Patriots and Buccaneers are stepping up as one of the rare decent clashes. Now, New England’s surprising surge behind rookie QB Drake Maye — who’s quietly putting up MVP-caliber numbers — has folks buzzing. But is this Patriots team for real, or are we just dazzled by a highlight reel with plenty of questionable edits? Meanwhile, Tampa Bay’s Baker Mayfield keeps making magic happen despite a ragtag crew of missing playmakers, and their defense might just have the answers to keep New England in check. Strap in, because this isn’t your everyday mismatch, and I’m leaning Buccaneers to cover the spread. Curious why? Dive into the full breakdown and get the edge for your bets. LEARN MORE.

Patriots vs. Buccaneers, 1:00 ET

Some weeks I can’t believe how lucky we are that we get the matchups to watch that we do. Other weeks, I somewhat question what is happening with the schedule makers. I know they can’t make every good team play another good team each week, and there are other factors at play, but some weeks it seems like all the great ones align and others where we get garbage matchups. This week, unfortunately, has a lot of garbage. One of the better matchups is between the Patriots and Buccaneers, and I’m ready to take a stance on it.

Raise your hand if you’re a non-Patriots fan and have a preseason ticket on Drake Maye to be the MVP. I don’t really see any in the virtual crowd, but I’m sure someone out there had this expectation. Maye has been fantastic for the Pats to this point in the year. He has thrown for 2,285 yards and slung 17 touchdowns. Most importantly, he has protected the ball rather well, with just four interceptions. New head coach Mike Vrabel has done an admirable job getting the defense ready for the season as well. They are ninth overall in yards allowed to opponents and are holding teams to just 18.8 points per game. New England is 1st in the AFC East and has won six straight games after a 1-2 start. Should we be really impressed with the Patriots, though? They beat the Bills in Buffalo which is a big achievement for even the best of teams. Outside of that, their wins are against the Dolphins, Panthers, Saints, Titans, Browns, and Falcons. The Falcons are the least predictable team in the world, in my opinion, at least. The Patriots were a missed extra-point from going into overtime, so it wasn’t like they blew out Atlanta. The Patriots will make the playoffs; outside of this game, they only have to face the Bills and Ravens the remainder of the season. Everything else should be a win.

The Buccaneers are 6-2 and if the hot start for the Patriots can be attributed to Maye, the Buccaneers should back a truckload of cash to the doorstep of Baker Mayfield. It seemingly doesn’t matter which offensive playmakers are available to him. He makes it work no matter who is around. For the season, Mayfield has 1,919 passing yards, 13 touchdowns, and just two interceptions. He lost his best wide receiver, Mike Evans for the season, and his rookie stud Emeka Egbuka has been in and out of the lineup a bit. Chris Godwin has also missed quite a bit of time. That doesn’t mention the running game, where their versatile back, Bucky Irving, has missed quite a bit of time. All of this is to say that if Maye is getting MVP consideration, Mayfield deserves quite a bit as well. In addition to a successful offense, their defense has done a nice job. They are seventh in rush defense, but they are much lower against the pass. That could be an issue with the success that the Patriots have had through the air.

This is one of the few matchups between two good teams. However, as I mentioned, I’m a bit skeptical of just how good New England is. Something was up with Buffalo for two weeks, and the Patriots got the best of them. Again, not taking anything away from them for the win, but that’s the only quality win they have. I’m going to back the Buccaneers for this one as I think Tampa’s defense is good enough to balance out the Patriots offensive attack. I also think Mayfield is the guy to back. Give me Tampa -2.5.

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