Has Maye Ended the Patriots' Difficult Brady Aftermath?

It's hard not to sympathize with the Cleveland Browns, Jets, and Bears. These teams have endured years in quarterback purgatory, rotating through prospects and placeholders. Meanwhile, after just five years of looking, the 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 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 matched throws with the Bills' star and outplayed the reigning MVP in the fourth quarter. But the Saints game on Sunday may have been more remarkable. Coming off an upset win over the division favorites, a visit to a lousy Saints team had potential for a letdown. And the Saints threatened early. They executed a large gain on the opening snap of the game, before stalling out in the red zone and settling for a field goal. It took Maye just four snaps to answer, launching a 53-yard deep ball to Pop Douglas for the go-ahead score.

Drake Maye goes 53 yards deep to Pop Douglas!

It was Maye at his best, navigating the protection to deliver a perfect pass deep. From there, he didn’t let up: Maye dominated the Saints in every area of the playing surface. His first half was so searing that his alma mater was forced to tweet. He ended 18-of-26 for over 250 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 above 100. Only Patrick Mahomes, the Cowboys' QB, and Dan Marino have achieved that at age 23 or younger.

The best quarterbacks turn difficult road games into routine victories. They don’t put the ball in harm’s way, maintain offensive momentum and make the decisive throws on crucial downs. The Patriots needed every bit of Maye’s near perfection 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 passing. And he performed under pressure.

Maye took hits a few times and sacked once, but the defensive pressure was continuous. It didn’t matter. Maye passed all three scoring throws under pressure, with each traveling 20 yards or more in the flight.

It’s not just the numbers. It’s how Maye carries himself. He’s self-assured and calm in the protection, bouncing through reads to locate receivers. When necessary, he can run and create with his legs. As a first-year player, he was a somewhat erratic, escaping pressure at the initial hint of danger. But now, he’s been more like Brady, conforming to the confines of the scheme and getting the ball to the right spot in a hurry.

For the season, Maye has 10 TD passes, two rushing touchdowns and just two interceptions. He’s halved his risky play percentage from his debut season, when he was always attempting to conjure magic out of broken plays. Currently, he’s picking his moments. He has avoided a turnover-worthy play in three outings.

Coming out of college, Maye was touted as a big-armed bomber. Evaluators questioned his ability to process sophisticated coverages and operate a complex offense. Overly casual. Too reckless. But Josh McDaniels, in his third stint as Patriots offensive coordinator, has unlocked the entire range of his playbook. Maye isn’t being limited; he’s being trusted. The Patriots are shapeshifting weekly again, and Maye is leading the attack like an eight-year vet.

His development has sped up the Patriots’ timeline. 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 year trying to reduce his brain-farts-per-game 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 into division contenders again.

Chicago supporters will find solace in witnessing the progress of their rookie QB. But if you’re a Cleveland or New York follower, you have to cringe. Because this is the ideal scenario when a franchise quarterback emerges. And for the rest of the league’s quarterback-starved franchises, it’s another example of how harsh and repetitive this game can be. The Patriots moved from the GOAT to a possible great in half a decade. Some teams spend a 25 years searching – and still don’t find a solution.

Finding a franchise QB is about more than winning games. It changes the identity of a fan base and organization. For 20 years, the Pats lived the privileged existence. But the last few seasons have been about not constructing a bridge from Brady to whatever would come next. They’ve discovered the solution today. Get ready for your Masshole friends to rediscover their Brady-era bluster.

Player of the Week

Jaxon Smith-Njigba, WR, Seattle Seahawks. Against a stifling Jaguars defense, Seattle’s only way forward was for their QB to target Smith-Njigba, constantly. The receiver answered with eight catches for 162 yards and a touchdown on 13 attempts, as the Seahawks snuck past the Jaguars by eight points. Seattle’s defense set the tone, pressuring Trevor Lawrence and sacking him a season-high seven sacks. But it was JSN who carried the Seahawks’ offense, making up all the first 117 of the Seahawks’ initial 117 yards through the air. That included a long TD and maybe the nastiest route we’ll see from a receiver all year.

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

Highlight of the Week

The Miami Dolphins were on the losing end of yet another disappointing, 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 score of the year. 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.

Wow. That is brutal. 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 short area, who put a Dolphins’ corner on skates to advance in range for the game-winning kick.

It sums up the Chargers' year: narrowly winning on the brilliance of their QB and his surrounding playmakers as his offensive line struggles. And it reflects the Miami's D, too: a pass-rush that can't complete sacks 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 losing time to save his job.

Stat of the Week

Negative 10. That’s the passing yardage the Jets' QB ended with in the Jets’ close defeat to the Broncos in London. It’s the fewest in any game since the Chargers had minus-19 in 1998. Even then, the Chargers had a rookie making his third professional start. Fields was making his 49th.

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