🔗 Share this article

You have to feel for the Cleveland Browns, New York Jets, and Chicago Bears. These teams have endured years in quarterback purgatory, cycling between young players and temporary starters. In contrast, after only half a decade of searching, the Patriots – the post-Tom 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 young quarterback who appears to be a top-five starter and Most Valuable Player contender.

His breakout performance came last week: a victory away in Orchard Park, where Maye matched throws with the Bills' star and surpassed the reigning MVP in the fourth quarter. But Sunday in New Orleans may have been even more impressive. Coming off an upset win over the division leaders, a trip to a struggling Saints squad had risk of a slump. And the Saints teased an upset. They executed a big play on the opening snap of the game, before stalling out in the red zone and opting for a three points. It took Maye just four snaps to answer, launching a long deep ball to Pop Douglas for the leading touchdown.

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

It was Maye in peak form, climbing through the protection to deliver a strike downfield. After that, 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 compelled to post. He finished 18-of-26 for over 250 yards with three scores and zero giveaways. And it might have been better if not for a series of debatable referee decisions.

It was his fifth straight game with at least 200 yards and a QB rating north of 100. Only Patrick Mahomes, the Cowboys' QB, and Dan Marino have ever done that at 23 years old or less.

The top QBs 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 important plays. The Patriots needed every bit of Maye's flawless play to narrowly defeat 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 right arm. And he delivered under fire.

Maye took hits a few times and tackled once, but the pressure he faced was continuous. It didn’t matter. Maye threw all three touchdown passes under pressure, with each 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 pocket, bouncing through reads to locate receivers. When needed, he can run and improvise on the ground. As a rookie, he was a little chaotic, escaping pressure at the initial hint of danger. But now, he’s been reminiscent of Brady, adapting to the structure of the system and delivering 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 reduced by half his Turnover Worthy Play rate from his debut season, when he was always attempting to create plays out of broken plays. Currently, he’s choosing wisely. He hasn’t committed a turnover-worthy play in three outings.

Coming out of college, Maye was billed as a big-armed bomber. Scouts doubted his capacity to process sophisticated coverages and operate a detailed system. Overly casual. Too reckless. But the offensive coordinator, in his third stint as Patriots offensive coordinator, has unleashed the entire range of his scheme. Maye isn’t being limited; he’s being trusted. The Patriots are shapeshifting each week again, and Maye is piloting the attack like an eight-year vet.

His growth 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 be the spectacular passes, while Maye spent the year trying to reduce his brain-farts-per-game in half. That would be improvement. Instead, Maye has smashed expectations. Six games into his second season, he’s turned into one of the league’s best – and he’s made the Patriots playoff hopefuls again.

Bears fans will take some comfort in witnessing the development of Caleb Williams. 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 other NFL quarterback-starved franchises, it’s yet another reminder of how harsh and repetitive this game can be. The Patriots moved from the greatest of all time to a possible great in five years. Certain franchises spend a quarter of a century looking – and still don’t find anyone.

Finding a franchise quarterback is about more than victories. It changes the identity of a fanbase and franchise. For two decades, the Pats lived the gilded life. But the recent years have been about not constructing a transition from Brady to whatever would come next. They’ve discovered the solution today. Prepare for your Masshole friends to rediscover their championship confidence.

MVP of the Week

JSN, wide receiver, Seattle. Against a tough Jacksonville D, Seattle’s only way forward was for Sam Darnold to target JSN, anywhere and everywhere. The wideout answered with eight catches for 162 yards and a score on 13 targets, as the Seahawks snuck past the Jaguars 20-12. Seattle’s defense set the tone, hounding the Jaguars' QB and sacking him a season-high seven times. But it was Smith-Njigba who supported the Seahawks’ offense, accounting for all 117 of the team's early yards via passing. That included a 61-yard touchdown and maybe the nastiest route we’ll see from a receiver all year.

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

Highlight of the Week

The Miami Dolphins were on the losing end of another disappointing, last-minute loss. They gained a narrow lead over the Los Angeles Chargers with under a minute remaining, after Tua Tagovailoa found his tight end for his fourth score of the year. The Chargers returned a 40-yard kickoff on the following kick. Then, the Chargers' QB and his receiver seized control.

WILD PLAY BY HERBERT AND MCCONKEY.

Hoo boy. That is mean. Somehow, Herbert escaped two defenders, slipping past the initial before throwing the second to the ground. He located McConkey in the flat, who faked out a defender to advance in position for the winning kick.

It sums up the Chargers' year: squeaking by on the excellence of their QB 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 floundering secondary. With the defeat, the Dolphins fell to 1-5. Miserable second-half collapses have become standard for the Dolphins. With another defeat, he’s losing time to keep his position.

Notable Statistic

Negative 10. That’s the passing yardage Justin Fields finished with in the Jets’ close defeat to the Denver Broncos in the UK. It’s the lowest in any match since the Chargers had negative 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 what Fields is now: an elite rusher who has difficulty to decipher the {passing game|pass