🔗 Share this article

You have to feel for the Cleveland Browns, Jets, and Chicago Bears. Those franchises have spent decades in quarterback purgatory, cycling between 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 through Newton, Jones, Zappe, and Maye's rocky start to now: a 23-year-old quarterback who looks like a elite player and MVP candidate.

His breakout performance came last week: a victory away in Buffalo, where Maye went throw-for-throw with the Bills' star and outplayed the reigning MVP in the final period. But Sunday in New Orleans may have been even more impressive. Fresh off an upset win over the division favorites, a visit to a struggling Saints squad had potential for a letdown. And the Saints teased an upset. They ripped off a big play on the first play of the game, before stalling out in the redzone and opting for a field goal. It took Maye all of four plays to respond, uncorking a 53-yard deep ball to DeMario Douglas for the go-ahead score.

Drake Maye connects with Pop Douglas on a 53-yard bomb!

It was Maye at his best, navigating the pocket to throw a perfect pass deep. From there, he didn’t let up: Maye dominated the Saints in every area of the playing surface. His opening two quarters was so searing that even North Carolina was forced to tweet. He ended 18 completions on 26 attempts for 261 yards with three touchdowns and zero giveaways. And it might have been better if not for a trio of debatable referee decisions.

It was his fifth consecutive outing with over 200 yards and a QB rating north of 100. Only Patrick Mahomes, Dak Prescott, and the Hall of Famer have ever done that at 23 years old or less.

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 important plays. The Patriots required all of Maye’s near perfection to narrowly defeat the Saints. They couldn’t run the ball against a stout front. Their defense gave up multiple big gains. This was a contest decided by Maye’s right arm. And he performed under pressure.

Maye took hits a several times and tackled once, but the defensive pressure was constant. It made no difference. Maye threw all three touchdown passes under pressure, with each traveling 20 yards or more in the flight.

It's beyond statistics. It’s how Maye carries himself. He’s self-assured and calm in the pocket, bouncing through reads to locate receivers. When needed, he can take off and improvise on the ground. As a rookie, he was a somewhat erratic, fleeing the pocket at the initial hint of danger. But this season, he’s been more like Brady, conforming to the confines of the scheme and getting the ball to the right spot quickly.

For the season, Maye is up to 10 TD passes, two rushing touchdowns and just two interceptions. He’s reduced by half his risky play percentage from his rookie year, when he was always attempting to create plays out of failed schemes. Currently, he’s picking his moments. He hasn’t committed a TWP in three games.

Coming out of college, Maye was billed as a strong-armed passer. Scouts questioned his capacity to process sophisticated coverages and operate a complex offense. Overly casual. Overly risky. But Josh McDaniels, in his third tour as New England's OC, has unleashed the entire range of his scheme. Maye isn’t being limited; he’s being relied on. The Patriots are evolving weekly again, and Maye is piloting the offense like an eight-year vet.

His growth has accelerated the Patriots' schedule. If there were to be sophomore improvement, you expected it would be a slow burn. There would still be the highlight throws, while Maye spent the year trying to cut his mental errors in half. That would be improvement. Instead, Maye has smashed expectations. Six games into his sophomore year, he’s become one of the NFL's top players – and he’s transformed the Patriots into division contenders once more.

Bears fans will take some comfort in seeing the progress of their rookie QB. But if you’re a Browns or Jets fan, you have to wince. Because this is what it’s supposed to look like when a franchise quarterback arrives. And for the rest of the league’s quarterback-starved franchises, it’s another example 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. Certain franchises spend a 25 years searching – and never locate a solution.

Securing a franchise QB is about beyond winning games. It changes the personality of a fan base and franchise. For 20 years, the Pats lived the gilded life. But the recent years have been about failing to build a bridge from Tom Brady to whatever would come next. They’ve found the answer today. Prepare for your Masshole friends to rediscover their Brady-era bluster.

MVP of the Week

JSN, WR, Seattle. Against a tough Jacksonville D, Seattle’s only way forward was for Sam Darnold to look for Smith-Njigba, anywhere and everywhere. The receiver answered with eight catches for 162 yards and a touchdown on 13 attempts, as the Seahawks edged the Jags 20-12. The Seahawks' D set the tone, hounding the Jaguars' QB and dropping him a year-high seven times. But it was JSN who carried the Seahawks’ offense, making up all the first 117 of the team's early yards through the air. That featured a 61-yard touchdown and maybe the nastiest route we’ll see from a receiver all year.

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

Highlight of the Week

The Miami Dolphins were on the wrong side of yet another frustrating, late defeat. 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 season. The Chargers then popped a 40-yard return on the ensuing kickoff. Then, Justin Herbert and Ladd McConkey seized control.

INCREDIBLE PLAY FROM HERBERT AND MCCONKEY.

Wow. That is brutal. Somehow, 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 position for the winning field goal.

It exemplifies the Chargers’ season: squeaking by on the excellence of their QB and his teammates as his offensive line struggles. And it sums up the Dolphins’ defense, too: a defensive pressure that can't complete sacks and a floundering secondary. With the defeat, the Dolphins dropped to 1-5. Painful late-game failures have become common for Mike McDaniel’s team. With another defeat, he’s losing time to save his job.

Stat of the Week

Negative 10. That’s the net passing yards Justin Fields finished with in the Jets’ 13-11 loss to the Broncos in the UK. It’s the fewest in any game since the San Diego Chargers had negative 19 in the late 90s. Even then, the Chargers had a rookie making his third professional start. Fields was making his 49th.

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