Drake Maye has established himself as an elite quarterback in his sophomore season and is almost certainly going to do something only four other signal-callers have ever done: win the MVP in his sophomore season.
That doesn't make him better than Justin Herbert, though.
Maye is now the resounding favorite to win the MVP over Matthew Stafford after the LA Rams' Week 17 loss to the Atlanta Falcons. In a year where Patrick Mahomes took a step back before getting injured, and Josh Allen lost the division to his truly, Maye has staked his claim at being named the best quarterback on planet Earth.
But not every situation is the same, and just because he had a better season than Herbert does not make him a better quarterback.
Drake Maye is elite, but Justin Herbert is underappreciated
There's no denying Maye's place among the elite quarterbacks. You don't win an MVP in your second season and not get invited to the exclusive club; a club that Herbert has firmly been in for multiple seasons even if its not widely accepted.
Those who watch Herbert know just how important he is to this Chargers team. The only reason the Chargers are relevant, both in the record book and in getting Jim Harbaugh to take the job, is because of Herbert. It's taken superhuman efforts throughout Herbert's entire career just to make the Chargers a playoff team. He hasn't been handed the same golden situation as Maye.
Herbert has played behind undoubtedly the worst offensive line in the sport with an offensive coordinator who was previously fired for holding back another MVP-winning quarterback, Lamar Jackson. Maye has mostly played behind a solid offensive line with an offensive coordinator who won multiple Super Bowls with the greatest quarterback of all time.
Not to mention Maye was gifted the luxury of a top-10 head coach in just his second season. It took five years for Herbert to get the same luxury.
Yes, on a purely statistical basis, Maye has been the better quarterback than Herbert. Maye has more yards, more touchdowns, fewer interceptions, and a higher completion percentage. Heck, for my advanced stats crowd, Maye has a far better EPA per play and CPOE per play.
But situations are just as big of a factor in success as overall talent. And the fact of the matter is that Maye and the Patriots haven't been tested this season. The Patriots have only beaten one team with a winning record. They've played three games in total against teams above .500.
It's been as easy as it can possibly get for the Pats. It's not Maye's fault he was gifted this schedule, which is why he will rightfully win MVP, but it doesn't automatically propel him ahead of Herbert in the quarterback hierarchy.
Maye supporters would likely argue that he is already doing things Herbert has never done, which simply isn't the case. Herbert's second season in the league was actually just as impressive statistically Herbert threw for over 5,000 yards with 38 touchdowns and a 70.9 QBR, which is close to Maye's 76.5 QBR this season.
The difference is that Herbert had Brandon Staley as his head coach with a bad supporting cast and a schedule that was right around league average in terms of strength. The Patriots, predictably, have the easiest strength of schedule this season and it's not even close. The differnce between the Patriots' schedule and the next easiest, statistically, is the same difference as the fourth hardest schedule in the league and the 17th hardest.
Maye has made the most out of the cards that were dealt to him, and good for him on that. But just because he was dealt pocket aces while Herbert was dealt 7-2 offsuit does not make him a better player.
But hey, there will always be an argument and with an MVP trophy on his mantle, Maye is going to have the inherent advantage. We'll see what happens if (or when) the two quarterbacks square off in the postseason.