Patriots Ups & Downs: Who stood out in a win over the Giants?

The New England Patriots improved to 11-2 on the season after earning their 10th straight win in a 33-15 stomping of the New York Giants on "Monday Night Football." Here's who was graded UP or DOWN based on their on-field performance...

Maye literally improved his MVP odds with his performance Monday night. He entered the game second to Matthew Stafford at +120, and comes out of the game as the favorite at -135.

A 300-yard passing game still eludes Maye, but yards are overrated. Maye made more than enough plays with his arm, completing passes to eight different receivers and dropping a pair of dimes in the end zone for his two touchdown tosses. He also managed to avoid throwing an interception, and now hasn't fumbled in four games.

Maye performed the way he did in spite of significant injuries along the offensive line, where two backups played on the left side and center Garrett Bradbury played through an illness. The second-year signal-caller has been sensational overall, and in the process of this statement win, he arguably made his own statement to be league MVP.

Brown allowed one pressure in pass protection, according to initial charting by Pro Football Focus, and also got flagged for holding. Additionally, Brown appeared to be responsible for an illegal shift penalty that nullified what would've been a touchdown.

Brown is a backup and is better as a center than a guard, but he's shown he can be better than he was in this game. the fact that rookie LG Jared Wilson hasn't gone on injured reserve, is a sign that he may be able to return after the bye, anyway.

The Patriots came out hot in this one, and Elliss was more than happy to set the tone. His crushing (and legal) hit on a scrambling Jaxson Dart sparked a sideline skirmish, then Elliss later jarred the ball loose from kick returner Gunner Olszewski, a fumble that the Pats recovered (Elliss wasn't officially credited with a forced fumble on the play, so I guess the scorers were a little picky). On a night that the Pats linebacking corps was overall relatively unproductive, Elliss stood out.

Hawkins committed a completely unnecessary helmet-to-helmet hit in the second quarter, which turned a third-down stop into a fresh set of downs for the Giants. They scored a 30-yard touchdown on the next play. Hawkins' mistake gave the Giants more life than they ever had any business having in this game. PFF also dinged him with a missed tackle. An off night for the starting free safety.

It's been a special season for Jones, who strengthened his case to be named a First Team All-Pro as a punt returner. He took his first return 94 yards to the end zone for his second return touchdown of the season, giving the Pats an early spark. His first return gave him enough to qualify on the all-time leaderboard for average punt return yards, and hit the list ranked first at 14.6 yards (that number has since gone down). Maye might be the ultimate MVP of the team, but Jones is in the conversation for a spot just after the quarterback with the way he's performed.

Baringer averaged just 27 yards on his punts, mainly thanks to a shank that set the Giants up at their own 44-yard line. His other boot went for 32 yards, but it was from the Giants 46. Baringer is a little fortunate that his one bad punt was overshadowed on that same drive, when Giants kicker Younghoe Koo kicked the turf in one of the most bizarre missed kicks you'll ever see. But Baringer will still have to bounce back from this one.

The Pats now have their bye week, so the next edition of Patriots Ups & Downs won't come until after Week 15, when they host the Buffalo Bills with a chance to win the AFC East for the first time since 2019.

Note: This article previously stated the Patriots play the Ravens on the road in Week 15. They actually play the Bills at home.