🔗 Share this article

You have to feel for the Browns, Jets, and Bears. Those franchises have endured years in QB uncertainty, rotating through prospects and temporary starters. Meanwhile, after only half a decade of looking, the Patriots – the after-Brady Patriots – appear to have found the guy.

Half a decade. From Brady to Cam Newton to Mac Jones to Bailey Zappe to Maye’s first choppy season to this: a young quarterback who looks like a top-five starter and MVP candidate.

His breakout performance came last week: a road win in Orchard Park, where Maye matched throws with the Bills' star and surpassed the current MVP in the final period. But Sunday in New Orleans may have been more remarkable. Fresh off an upset win over the division favorites, a trip to a struggling Saints squad had potential for a letdown. And the Saints teased an upset. They executed a large gain on the first play of the game, before faltering in the red zone and opting for a field goal. It took Maye all of four plays to respond, uncorking a long pass to DeMario Douglas for the go-ahead score.

Drake Maye goes 53 yards deep to Pop Douglas!

It was Maye at his best, climbing through the protection to deliver a strike downfield. After that, he didn’t let up: Maye torched the Saints in all parts of the playing surface. His first half was so searing that his alma mater was forced to tweet. He ended 18 completions on 26 attempts for over 250 yards with three scores and no turnovers. And it could have been more if not for a series of questionable officiating calls.

It was his fifth straight game with over 200 yards and a passer rating north of 100. Only Patrick Mahomes, Dak Prescott, and the Hall of Famer have ever done that at age 23 or younger.

The best quarterbacks convert tough away matches into ho-hum wins. They avoid risky throws, keep the offense chugging and make the decisive throws on crucial downs. The Patriots required all of Maye's flawless play to squeeze by the Saints. They struggled on the ground against a strong defensive line. Their defense gave up multiple chunk plays. This was a contest decided by Maye’s right arm. And he performed under pressure.

Maye was hit a few times and sacked once, but the pressure he faced was constant. It made no difference. Maye threw all three scoring throws under pressure, with all three going over 20 yards in the air.

It's beyond statistics. It’s Maye's demeanor. He’s confident and composed in the protection, bouncing through reads to find open targets. When needed, he can run and create with his legs. As a first-year player, he was a somewhat erratic, fleeing the pocket at the first sign of trouble. But this season, he’s been reminiscent of Brady, conforming to the structure of the scheme and delivering the ball where it needs to go quickly.

For the season, Maye has 10 passing touchdowns, two running scores 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 broken plays. Currently, he’s picking his moments. He has avoided a TWP in three outings.

After college, Maye was billed as a strong-armed passer. Evaluators doubted his capacity to read complex defenses and operate a complex offense. Overly casual. Overly risky. But Josh McDaniels, in his third stint as Patriots offensive coordinator, has unleashed the full breadth of his playbook. Maye isn’t being limited; he’s being relied on. The Patriots are shapeshifting each week again, and Maye is leading the offense like an eight-year vet.

His development has sped up the Patriots' schedule. If there were to be sophomore improvement, you expected it would be a slow burn. There would still exist the highlight throws, while Maye spent the season trying to reduce his mental errors in half. That would be progress. Instead, Maye has exceeded expectations. Six games into his second season, he’s turned into one of the NFL's top players – and he’s transformed the Patriots into playoff hopefuls again.

Chicago supporters will find solace in seeing the progress of their rookie QB. But if you’re a Browns or Jets fan, you have to wince. Because this is the ideal scenario when a franchise quarterback emerges. And for the rest of the league’s teams lacking QBs, it’s yet another reminder of how cruel and cyclical this game can be. The Patriots moved from the greatest of all time to a possible great in five years. Some teams spend a 25 years looking – and never locate a solution.

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 bridge from Brady to the next era. They’ve found the answer today. Get ready for your New England pals to rediscover their Brady-era bluster.

Player of the Week

JSN, wide receiver, Seattle. Against a tough Jacksonville D, Seattle’s only way forward was for their QB to look for Smith-Njigba, anywhere and everywhere. The wideout answered with eight catches for 162 yards and a touchdown on 13 targets, as the Seahawks snuck past the Jags by eight points. The Seahawks' D led the way, hounding the Jaguars' QB and sacking him a season-high seven times. But it was Smith-Njigba who carried the Seahawks’ offense, accounting for all 117 of the team's early yards via passing. That featured a 61-yard touchdown and perhaps the best route we’ll see from a receiver all year.

JSN outmaneuvered new Jaguars corner Greg Newsome on his very first snap with his new team – a 61-yard TD.

Video of the Week

The Miami Dolphins were on the losing end of another frustrating, late defeat. They took a one-point lead over the Los Angeles Chargers with under a minute remaining, after their QB found Darren Waller for his fourth touchdown of the year. The Chargers then popped a 40-yard return on the following kick. Then, Justin Herbert and Ladd McConkey seized control.

INCREDIBLE PLAY FROM HERBERT AND MCCONKEY.

Wow. That is brutal. Amazingly, Herbert escaped two oncoming pass-rushers, dodging the initial before throwing the second to the ground. He located his target in the flat, who put a Dolphins’ corner on skates to move the ball in range for the winning kick.

It sums up the Chargers' year: narrowly winning on the brilliance of Herbert and his surrounding playmakers as his protection struggles. And it reflects the Miami's D, too: a pass-rush that struggles to finish and a floundering secondary. With the loss, the Dolphins fell to one win and five losses. Painful late-game failures have become common for Mike McDaniel’s team. With another defeat, he’s losing time to save his job.

Notable Statistic

Negative 10. That’s the net passing yards Justin Fields ended with in the Jets’ close defeat to the Broncos in the UK. It’s the fewest in any match since the Chargers had negative 19 in 1998. Even then, the Chargers had a rookie making his third professional start. Fields was making his 49th.

We know who Fields is now: an exceptional runner who struggles to read the {passing game|pass