🔗 Share this article

You have to feel for the Cleveland Browns, Jets, and Bears. These teams have spent decades in QB uncertainty, cycling between prospects and placeholders. In contrast, after just five years of looking, the Patriots – the post-Tom Brady Patriots – seem to have discovered 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 appears to be a elite player and MVP candidate.

His breakout performance came last week: a road win in Buffalo, where Maye went throw-for-throw with the Bills' star and surpassed the reigning MVP in the final period. But the Saints game on Sunday may have been even more impressive. Fresh off an upset win over the division leaders, a visit to a lousy Saints team had risk of a slump. And the Saints teased an upset. They ripped off a large gain on the opening snap of the game, before stalling out in the red zone and settling for a three points. It took Maye just four snaps to respond, launching a 53-yard deep ball to Pop Douglas for the leading touchdown.

Drake Maye goes 53 yards deep to Pop Douglas!

It was Maye in peak form, climbing through the protection to deliver a perfect pass downfield. After that, he didn’t let up: Maye torched the Saints in all parts of the field. His opening two quarters was so searing that his alma mater was forced to tweet. He ended 18 completions on 26 attempts for 261 yards with three touchdowns and zero giveaways. And it could have been more if not for a trio of debatable referee decisions.

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

The top QBs turn difficult road games into routine victories. They avoid risky throws, maintain offensive momentum and make the decisive throws on important plays. The Patriots needed every bit 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 chunk plays. This was a game that had to be won by Maye's passing. And he delivered under fire.

Maye took hits a few times and tackled once, but the pressure he faced was constant. It didn’t matter. Maye passed all three scoring throws while pressured, with each going over 20 yards in the flight.

It's beyond statistics. It’s Maye's demeanor. He’s self-assured and calm in the protection, scanning options to locate receivers. When needed, he can take off and improvise on the ground. As a first-year player, he was a little chaotic, fleeing the pocket at the first sign of trouble. But now, he’s been more like Brady, conforming to the structure of the system and delivering the ball to the right spot in a hurry.

This year, Maye is up to 10 TD passes, two running scores and only two picks. He’s halved his Turnover Worthy Play rate from his rookie year, when he was constantly trying to conjure magic out of broken plays. Now, he’s choosing wisely. He hasn’t committed a TWP in three games.

After college, Maye was billed as a strong-armed passer. Scouts doubted his ability to read complex defenses and operate a detailed system. Too loose. Too reckless. But the offensive coordinator, in his third tour as Patriots offensive coordinator, has unlocked the entire range of his scheme. Maye isn’t being limited; he’s being relied on. The Patriots are evolving each week again, and Maye is piloting the attack like an experienced veteran.

His development has sped up the Patriots’ timeline. If there were to be second-year progress, you expected it would be a gradual process. There would still be the highlight throws, while Maye spent the year trying to reduce his brain-farts-per-game in half. That would be progress. Instead, Maye has smashed expectations. Six matches into his second season, he’s become one of the league’s best – and he’s made the Patriots into division contenders again.

Bears fans will find solace in witnessing the progress of their rookie QB. But if you’re a Cleveland or New York follower, you have to wince. Because this is the ideal scenario when a franchise quarterback emerges. And for the other NFL quarterback-starved franchises, it’s another example of how cruel and cyclical this game can be. The Patriots moved from the GOAT to a potential star in five years. Certain franchises spend a 25 years looking – and still don’t find a solution.

Securing a franchise quarterback is about beyond winning games. It alters the identity of a fan base and organization. For two decades, the Patriots enjoyed the privileged existence. But the last few seasons have been about failing to build a transition from Brady to the next era. They’ve discovered the solution now. Prepare for your New England pals to rediscover their Brady-era bluster.

MVP of the Week

Jaxon Smith-Njigba, WR, Seattle. Against a tough Jacksonville D, Seattle’s only way forward was for their QB to target Smith-Njigba, constantly. The receiver answered with eight receptions for 162 yards and a touchdown on 13 attempts, as the Seahawks edged the Jags by eight points. Seattle’s defense set the tone, pressuring the Jaguars' QB and dropping him a season-high seven sacks. But it was JSN who supported the Seahawks’ offense, accounting for all the first 117 of the team's early yards via passing. That featured a long TD and perhaps the best route we’ll see from a pass-catcher all year.

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

Highlight of the Week

The Dolphins were on the losing end of yet another disappointing, last-minute loss. They gained a narrow lead over the Chargers with 48 seconds left, after their QB found his tight end for his fourth touchdown of the season. The Chargers then popped a 40-yard return on the ensuing kickoff. From there, Justin Herbert and his receiver took over.

WILD PLAY BY HERBERT AND MCCONKEY.

Wow. That is mean. Somehow, Herbert was able to evade two oncoming pass-rushers, dodging the initial before throwing the second to the deck. He located his target in the flat, who faked out a defender to advance in range for the winning kick.

It sums up the Chargers’ season: squeaking by on the excellence of their QB and his teammates as his offensive line struggles. And it sums up the Miami's D, too: a defensive pressure that struggles to finish 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 defeat, he’s losing time to keep his position.

Stat of the Week

Negative 10. That’s the net passing yards the Jets' QB ended with in the Jets’ close defeat to the Denver Broncos in the UK. It’s the fewest in any match since the Chargers had minus-19 in the late 90s. Back then, the Chargers started a rookie making his third professional start. Fields was in his 49th.

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