🔗 Share this article

You have to feel for the Cleveland Browns, Jets, and Bears. These teams have spent decades in quarterback purgatory, cycling between prospects and placeholders. Meanwhile, after just five years of looking, the New England Patriots – the after-Brady Patriots – seem to have discovered their man.

Five years. From Brady through Newton, Jones, Zappe, and Maye's rocky start to now: a 23-year-old quarterback who looks like a top-five starter and MVP candidate.

His breakout performance came last week: a victory away in Buffalo, where Maye went throw-for-throw with Josh Allen and surpassed the reigning MVP in the final period. But the Saints game on Sunday may have been even more impressive. Coming off an surprise victory over the division favorites, a visit to a struggling Saints squad had risk of a slump. And the Saints threatened early. They executed a large gain on the first play of the game, before faltering in the redzone and opting for a three points. It took Maye just four snaps to respond, launching a long deep ball to DeMario Douglas for the leading touchdown.

Drake Maye goes 53 yards deep to Pop Douglas!

It was Maye in peak form, climbing through the pocket to throw a perfect pass deep. From there, he kept pushing: Maye dominated the Saints in all parts of the field. His first half was so impressive that even North Carolina was forced to tweet. He ended 18-of-26 for 261 yards with three touchdowns and no turnovers. And it might have been better if not for a series of questionable officiating calls.

It was his fifth consecutive outing with at least 200 yards and a QB rating north of 100. Only Patrick Mahomes, the Cowboys' QB, and the Hall of Famer have achieved that at 23 years old or less.

The best quarterbacks turn difficult road games into ho-hum wins. They avoid risky throws, keep the offense chugging and make the decisive throws on important plays. The Patriots needed every bit of Maye’s near perfection to squeeze by the Saints. They couldn’t run the ball against a strong defensive line. Their defense gave up multiple chunk plays. This was a contest decided by Maye's passing. And he performed under pressure.

Maye was hit a several times and tackled once, but the defensive pressure was constant. It didn’t matter. Maye threw all three scoring throws while pressured, with each traveling 20 yards or more in the air.

It’s not just the numbers. It’s how Maye carries himself. He’s confident and composed in the pocket, bouncing through reads to locate receivers. When needed, he can take off and create with his legs. As a rookie, he was a little chaotic, fleeing the pocket at the first sign of trouble. But now, he’s been reminiscent of Brady, conforming to the confines of the system and delivering the ball where it needs to go in a hurry.

This year, Maye is up to 10 TD passes, two rushing touchdowns and only two picks. He’s halved his Turnover Worthy Play rate from his debut season, when he was constantly trying to conjure magic out of failed schemes. Now, he’s picking his moments. He has avoided a turnover-worthy play in three outings.

After college, Maye was touted as a big-armed bomber. Evaluators doubted his ability to read complex defenses and run a complex offense. Overly casual. Too reckless. But the offensive coordinator, in his third tour as New England's OC, has unlocked the entire range of his scheme. Maye isn't restricted; he’s being relied on. The Patriots are shapeshifting each week again, and Maye is leading the attack like an eight-year vet.

His growth has sped up the Patriots' schedule. If there were to be second-year progress, you imagined it would be a gradual process. There would still exist the spectacular passes, while Maye used the season trying to cut his mental errors in half. That would be improvement. In contrast, Maye has exceeded predictions. Six matches into his sophomore year, he’s turned into one of the league’s best – and he’s transformed the Patriots playoff hopefuls again.

Bears fans will find solace in witnessing the progress of Caleb Williams. But if you’re a Browns or Jets fan, you have to wince. Because this is the ideal scenario when a franchise QB arrives. And for the rest of the league’s teams lacking QBs, it’s yet another reminder of how harsh and repetitive this game can be. The Patriots went from the greatest of all time to a potential star in half a decade. Certain franchises spend a quarter of a century looking – and never locate anyone.

Securing a franchise quarterback is about beyond victories. It alters the personality of a fanbase and organization. For 20 years, the Patriots enjoyed the privileged existence. But the last few seasons have been about not constructing a transition from Tom Brady to whatever would come next. They’ve found the answer today. Prepare for your Masshole friends to regain their championship confidence.

MVP of the Week

JSN, WR, Seattle. Against a stifling Jaguars defense, Seattle's sole option was for their QB to target JSN, constantly. The receiver responded with eight receptions for over 150 yards and a score on 13 targets, as the Seahawks edged the Jaguars 20-12. Seattle’s defense led the way, pressuring the Jaguars' QB and dropping him a season-high seven sacks. But it was Smith-Njigba who supported the Seahawks’ offense, making up all the first 117 of the Seahawks’ initial 117 yards through the air. That included a 61-yard touchdown and perhaps the best route we’ll see from a receiver all year.

Jaxon Smith-Njigba just beat new Jaguars CB Greg Newsome on his very first snap with his new squad – a 61-yard TD.

Video of the Week

The Miami Dolphins were on the losing end of another frustrating, last-minute loss. They took a one-point lead over the Los Angeles Chargers with 48 seconds left, after their QB found Darren Waller for his fourth score of the year. The Chargers returned a 40-yard return on the following kick. Then, Justin Herbert and his receiver took over.

INCREDIBLE PLAY FROM HERBERT AND MCCONKEY.

Wow. That is mean. Amazingly, Herbert was able to evade two oncoming pass-rushers, dodging the initial before tossing the other to the ground. He found McConkey in the flat, who put a Dolphins’ corner on skates to move the ball in range for the game-winning kick.

It sums up the Chargers' year: narrowly winning on the excellence of Herbert and his teammates as his offensive line flails. And it sums up the Dolphins’ defense, too: a pass-rush that can't complete sacks and a floundering secondary. With the defeat, the Dolphins fell to one win and five losses. Painful late-game failures have become common for the Dolphins. With another rough loss, he’s running out of time to keep his position.

Notable Statistic

Negative 10. That’s the net passing yards the Jets' QB finished with in the New York Jets' close defeat to the Denver Broncos in the UK. It’s the lowest in any game since the San Diego Chargers had negative 19 in 1998. Even then, the Chargers had a rookie making his third game. Fields was making his 49th.

It's clear what Fields is now: an exceptional runner who struggles to decipher the {passing game|pass