Has Maye Finished the Patriots' Painful Tom Brady Aftermath?

It's hard not to sympathize with the Cleveland Browns, Jets, and Chicago Bears. Those franchises have spent decades in quarterback purgatory, cycling between young players and temporary starters. In contrast, after just five years of looking, the New England Patriots – the after-Brady Patriots – seem to have discovered the guy.

Half a decade. From Brady through Newton, Jones, Zappe, and Maye's rocky start to now: a young quarterback who appears to be a top-five starter and MVP candidate.

Last week was his breakout: a victory away in Buffalo, where Maye went throw-for-throw with Josh Allen and outplayed the current 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 favorites, a trip to a lousy Saints team had potential for a letdown. And the Saints teased an upset. They ripped off a large gain on the first play of the game, before stalling out in the red zone and settling for a three points. It took Maye just four snaps to answer, uncorking a long 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 pocket to throw a strike downfield. From there, he didn’t let up: Maye torched the Saints in every area of the playing surface. His first half was so searing that even North Carolina was forced to tweet. He ended 18-of-26 for over 250 yards with three scores and no turnovers. And it might have been better if not for a trio of questionable officiating calls.

It was his fifth straight game with over 200 yards and a QB rating above 100. Only Patrick Mahomes, Dak Prescott, and Dan Marino have ever done that at age 23 or younger.

The best quarterbacks convert tough away matches into ho-hum wins. They avoid risky throws, maintain offensive momentum and make the decisive throws on important plays. The Patriots required all of Maye's flawless play to narrowly defeat the Saints. They couldn’t run the ball against a strong defensive line. Their defense gave up multiple big gains. This was a contest decided by Maye’s right arm. And he performed under pressure.

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

It’s not just the numbers. It’s Maye's demeanor. He’s confident and composed in the protection, scanning options to find open targets. When necessary, he can take off and improvise on the ground. As a rookie, he was a little chaotic, fleeing the pocket at the initial hint of danger. But this season, he’s been more like Brady, conforming to the structure of the system and getting the ball to the right spot in a hurry.

This year, Maye has 10 passing touchdowns, two rushing touchdowns and just two interceptions. He’s reduced by half his risky play percentage from his debut season, when he was constantly trying to conjure magic out of broken plays. Now, he’s picking his moments. He hasn’t committed a turnover-worthy play in three outings.

Coming out of college, Maye was billed as a strong-armed passer. Evaluators doubted his capacity to read complex defenses and run a detailed system. Overly casual. Overly risky. But Josh McDaniels, in his third stint as Patriots offensive coordinator, has unleashed the full breadth of his scheme. Maye isn't restricted; 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 accelerated the Patriots’ timeline. If there were to be sophomore improvement, you expected it would be a slow burn. There would still be the spectacular passes, while Maye spent the season trying to reduce his mental errors in half. That would be improvement. In contrast, Maye has smashed expectations. Six games into his second season, he’s turned into one of the NFL's top players – and he’s made the Patriots playoff hopefuls once more.

Chicago supporters will take some comfort in witnessing the development of Caleb Williams. But if you’re a Browns or Jets fan, you have to cringe. Because this is the ideal scenario when a franchise QB emerges. And for the other NFL teams lacking QBs, it’s yet another reminder of how cruel and cyclical this sport can be. The Patriots moved from the greatest of all time to a potential star in five years. Some teams spend a 25 years searching – and still don’t find anyone.

Securing a franchise quarterback is about beyond victories. It changes the personality of a fanbase and organization. For 20 years, the Patriots enjoyed the gilded life. But the last few seasons have been about not constructing a transition from Brady to the next era. They’ve discovered the solution now. Prepare for your New England pals to regain their Brady-era bluster.

Player of the Week

JSN, wide receiver, Seattle Seahawks. Against a tough Jacksonville D, Seattle's sole option was for their QB to target JSN, constantly. The wideout answered with eight catches for over 150 yards and a score on 13 attempts, as the Seahawks snuck past the Jaguars 20-12. Seattle’s defense set the tone, pressuring the Jaguars' QB and dropping him a year-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 included a long TD and maybe the nastiest route we’ll see from a pass-catcher all year.

JSN outmaneuvered new Jaguars corner Greg Newsome on his first play with his new team – a 61-yard touchdown.

Highlight of the Week

The Dolphins were on the losing end of another frustrating, last-minute loss. They gained a narrow lead over the Chargers with under a minute remaining, 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, the Chargers' QB and Ladd McConkey took over.

INCREDIBLE PLAY FROM HERBERT AND MCCONKEY.

Hoo boy. That is brutal. Amazingly, Herbert escaped two defenders, slipping past the first before throwing the second to the ground. He found his target in the flat, who put a Dolphins’ corner on skates to move the ball in range for the game-winning field goal.

It sums up the Chargers’ season: squeaking by on the brilliance of their QB and his teammates as his protection struggles. And it reflects the Miami's D, too: a pass-rush that struggles to finish and a weak coverage. With the loss, the Dolphins dropped to 1-5. Miserable second-half collapses have become standard for Mike McDaniel’s team. With another defeat, he’s running out of time to keep his position.

Notable Statistic

Minus-10. That’s the passing yardage the Jets' QB finished with in the Jets’ 13-11 loss to the Denver Broncos in the UK. It’s the fewest in any game since the Chargers had minus-19 in 1998. Even then, the Chargers started a rookie making his third professional start. Fields was in his 49th start.

It's clear what Fields is now: an elite rusher who has difficulty to read the {passing game|pass