🔗 Share this article

It's hard not to sympathize with the Browns, New York Jets, and Chicago Bears. These teams have spent decades in QB uncertainty, cycling between young players and temporary starters. Meanwhile, after just five years of searching, the New England Patriots – the after-Brady Patriots – appear to have found their man.

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 victory away in Orchard Park, where Maye went throw-for-throw with the Bills' star and outplayed the current MVP in the fourth quarter. But the Saints game on Sunday may have been even more impressive. Coming off an surprise victory over the division favorites, a visit to a lousy Saints team had potential for a letdown. And the Saints threatened early. They ripped off a big play on the first play of the game, before stalling out in the redzone and settling for a three points. It took Maye just four snaps to answer, uncorking a 53-yard deep ball to DeMario Douglas for the go-ahead touchdown.

Drake Maye goes 53 yards deep to Pop Douglas!

It was Maye in peak form, navigating the protection to throw a strike downfield. 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 his alma mater was forced to tweet. He finished 18-of-26 for 261 yards with three scores and zero giveaways. And it might have been better if not for a trio of questionable officiating calls.

It was his fifth straight game with at least 200 yards and a passer rating above 100. Only the Chiefs' star, the Cowboys' QB, and Dan Marino have ever done that at age 23 or younger.

The best quarterbacks turn difficult road games into ho-hum wins. They don’t put the ball in harm’s way, keep the offense chugging and deliver key passes on crucial downs. The Patriots needed every bit 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 chunk plays. This was a game that had to be won by Maye's passing. And he delivered under fire.

Maye took hits a several times and tackled once, but the defensive pressure was constant. It made no difference. Maye threw all three scoring throws while pressured, 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 find open targets. When needed, he can take off and improvise on the ground. As a rookie, he was a little chaotic, fleeing the pocket at the first sign of trouble. But this season, he’s been more like Brady, adapting to the structure of the scheme and delivering the ball to the right spot in a hurry.

This year, Maye is up to 10 passing touchdowns, two running scores and just two interceptions. He’s halved his Turnover Worthy Play rate from his debut season, when he was always attempting to create plays out of failed schemes. Now, he’s choosing wisely. He has avoided a turnover-worthy play in three outings.

Coming out of college, Maye was touted as a strong-armed passer. Scouts questioned his capacity to process sophisticated coverages and run a detailed system. Too loose. Too reckless. But Josh McDaniels, in his third tour as New England's OC, has unlocked the entire range of his playbook. Maye isn’t being limited; he’s being trusted. The Patriots are evolving each week again, and Maye is piloting the offense like an experienced veteran.

His development has sped up the Patriots' schedule. 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 used the season trying to cut his mental errors in half. That would be progress. Instead, Maye has exceeded predictions. Six matches into his sophomore year, he’s become one of the league’s best – and he’s transformed the Patriots into division contenders again.

Chicago supporters will take some comfort in seeing the development 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 QB emerges. And for the rest of the league’s quarterback-starved franchises, it’s yet another reminder of how harsh and repetitive this sport can be. The Patriots went from the greatest of all time to a potential star in five years. Some teams spend a quarter of a century looking – and still don’t find a solution.

Securing a franchise quarterback is about more than victories. It alters the identity of a fan base and organization. For 20 years, the Patriots enjoyed the gilded life. But the last few seasons have been about failing to build a transition from Tom Brady to whatever would come next. They’ve found the answer now. Prepare for your Masshole friends to regain their championship confidence.

Player of the Week

JSN, WR, Seattle Seahawks. Against a stifling Jaguars defense, Seattle’s only way forward was for Sam Darnold to look for JSN, anywhere and everywhere. The receiver answered with eight catches for over 150 yards and a score on 13 attempts, as the Seahawks edged the Jags by eight points. Seattle’s defense set the tone, hounding Trevor Lawrence and sacking him a season-high seven sacks. But it was Smith-Njigba who carried the Seahawks’ offense, accounting for all the first 117 of the Seahawks’ initial 117 yards via passing. That featured a long TD and maybe the nastiest 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 squad – a 61-yard touchdown.

Video of the Week

The Dolphins were on the wrong side of yet another frustrating, last-minute loss. They gained a narrow lead over the Chargers with 48 seconds left, after Tua Tagovailoa found Darren Waller for his fourth touchdown of the season. The Chargers returned a 40-yard kickoff on the following kick. Then, the Chargers' QB and Ladd McConkey seized control.

WILD PLAY BY HERBERT AND MCCONKEY.

Wow. That is brutal. Amazingly, Herbert escaped 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 move the ball in position for the game-winning kick.

It sums up the Chargers’ season: narrowly winning on the brilliance of Herbert and his surrounding playmakers as his offensive line flails. And it reflects the Miami's D, too: a pass-rush that struggles to finish and a weak coverage. With the defeat, the Dolphins dropped to 1-5. Miserable second-half collapses have become common for the Dolphins. With another rough loss, he’s running out of time to keep his position.

Notable Statistic

Minus-10. That’s the net passing yards the Jets' QB finished with in the Jets’ 13-11 loss to the Broncos in London. It’s the fewest in any match since the Chargers had negative 19 in 1998. Even then, the Chargers had Ryan Leaf making his third professional start. Fields was in his 49th.

We know who Fields is now: an exceptional runner who has difficulty to decipher the {passing game|pass