Drake Maye named AFC Offensive Player of the Month for October

Drake Maye is the AFC's Offensive Player of the Month for October, the NFL announced Thursday. It is the first monthly award of the Patriots quarterback's career, and he is the first New England player to win it since Tom Brady in November 2017, NESN reported. Brady and Drew Bledsoe are the only other Patriots quarterbacks to have won it.

Maye led the league in October with 12 touchdown passes and a 119.0 passer rating. Across four games he completed 90 of 134 passes for 1,199 yards with two interceptions, and ran for 129 yards and two more touchdowns, by ESPN's box scores. New England went 3-1.

The rest of the October honors, as Patriots Wire listed them, included one name the Patriots will see on Sunday: Green Bay safety Evan Williams was the NFC's Defensive Player of the Month. Giants receiver Malik Nabers won on the NFC side of the ball, and Broncos linebacker Alex Singleton took the AFC's defensive award.

A month that turned the season

Maye's September was rough. He threw three interceptions in the 13-10 opening loss at Seattle and six in the first three games, two of them in a 35-6 loss at Jacksonville that left New England 1-2.

October went the other way:

• Oct. 4, Patriots 29, Bills 26 at Buffalo: 22 of 37 for 269 yards and three touchdowns, plus 54 rushing yards on eight carries. It earned him AFC Offensive Player of the Week.
• Oct. 11, Patriots 45, Raiders 17: 26 of 34 for 374 yards and four touchdowns, no interceptions, and a rushing touchdown.
• Oct. 18, Patriots 26, Jets 19: 18 of 32 for 235 yards and three touchdowns.
• Oct. 22, Bears 30, Patriots 24 at Chicago: 24 of 31 for 321 yards, two touchdowns and an interception, plus a rushing touchdown.

He accounted for at least three touchdowns in every October game, and kept the run going at Miami last Sunday, when he threw two touchdown passes and ran for a third in a 24-19 win. That is five straight games.

The change has come downfield. After struggling on deep throws early in the season, Maye has been among the league's best at producing chunk plays through the air over the past several weeks, ESPN reported on Tuesday. The two second-half touchdowns at Miami, 43 yards to Kyle Williams and 48 to DeMario Douglas, were both deep shots.

He has done it with a thinned receiver room. A.J. Brown has played three games all season and is out again Sunday, Romeo Doubs is on injured reserve, and Mack Hollins has been out since early October. The full injury report.

Maye and the Patriots (5-3) host Jordan Love and the Packers (5-3) on Sunday at 4:25 p.m. Eastern on Fox. Game page.