New England Patriots’ starting quarterback Drake Maye is garnering a lot of appreciation from fans as one of the leading factors for his team’s recent success. On Sunday, Dec. 28, Maye and the rest of coach Mike Vrabel’s Patriots were named the 2025 AFC East champions after one of their rivals, the Buffalo Bills, lost their most recent regular-season game.
This is the first time that New England has won the AFC East since NFL legend and seven-time Super Bowl champion Tom Brady was still with the team. Brady retired ]in 2022, spending his last three seasons from 2020 to the aforementioned year with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Before this, he spent almost two decades, 19 years, with the Patriots and led them to several successful seasons.
The @Patriots are your 2025 AFC East champs 👏 pic.twitter.com/Qkz2HuC8Sn
— NFL (@NFL) December 29, 2025
Fans online united in celebration for the kind of performances Maye has put up that are reminiscent of Brady during his playing days in the NFL.
“Thank you for changing my life. I’m literally just Drake Maye,” a meme states that was posted by a fan.
“Drake ‘Drake Maye’ Maye,” another fan wrote.
“DRAKE “DRAKE MAYE” MAYE DID IT,” another user exclaimed.
“You killed the man but not the idea,” a meme is captioned with that shows Maye side by side with Brady.
Other X users were quick to point out some statistics and moments that added to the current rise of Maye as a potential superstar in the professional league.
“The only QBs to win the AFC East in the last 20 years: Tom Brady, Chad Pennington, Josh Allen, DRAKE MAYE,” one user said.
“Drake ‘Drake Maye’ Maye is so good he’s winning the division while on the plane home. MVP,” another user shared.
“And should be there to stay for many years to come with Drake ‘The Wizard’ Maye!,” a user claimed.
With Maye seemingly turning the tide for the Patriots this year with the conference title, it seems as though he can become the next franchise great after Brady, despite it being hefty shoes to fill. New England won the AFC East championship with their current record of 13-3, and are coming off a 32-point win, 42-10, over the New York Giants on the day they became conference champions.
The Buffalo Bills Lost To The Philadelphia Eagles, Causing Their Rivals To Be 2025 AFC East Champions
The reasoning as to why the New England Patriots were named as the 2025 AFC East champions was because the coach Sean McDermott’s Buffalo Bills lost against the defending Super Bowl champions in coach Nick Sirianni’s Philadelphia Eagles on the aforementioned day by a mere point, 13-12.
The Bills now hold an 11-5 record currently, which disallows them from winning the conference title.
