🔗 Share this article

You have to feel for the Cleveland Browns, Jets, and Chicago Bears. These teams have endured years in QB uncertainty, rotating through young players and placeholders. Meanwhile, after only half a decade of searching, the New England Patriots – the after-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 looks like a elite player and Most Valuable Player contender.

Last week was his breakout: a road win in Buffalo, where Maye went throw-for-throw with the Bills' star and outplayed the reigning MVP in the final period. But Sunday in New Orleans may have been more remarkable. Fresh off an upset win over the division leaders, a trip to a struggling Saints squad had potential for a letdown. And the Saints threatened early. They executed a large gain on the opening snap of the game, before faltering in the redzone and opting for a field goal. It took Maye just four snaps to answer, uncorking a 53-yard pass to DeMario Douglas for the leading score.

Drake Maye goes 53 yards deep to Pop Douglas!

It was Maye in peak form, navigating the pocket to throw a perfect pass downfield. From there, he didn’t let up: Maye torched the Saints in every area of the field. His opening two quarters was so searing that his alma mater was compelled to post. He ended 18 completions on 26 attempts for over 250 yards with three scores and no turnovers. 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 the Hall of Famer have ever done that at 23 years old or less.

The top QBs turn difficult road games into routine victories. They avoid risky throws, maintain offensive momentum and make the decisive throws on crucial downs. The Patriots needed every bit of Maye’s near perfection 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 right arm. And he delivered under fire.

Maye took hits a several times and tackled once, but the defensive pressure was continuous. It didn’t matter. Maye passed all three scoring throws while pressured, with all three traveling 20 yards or more in the air.

It’s not just the numbers. It’s how Maye carries himself. He’s self-assured and calm in the pocket, scanning options to locate receivers. When needed, he can take off and create with his legs. As a rookie, he was a somewhat erratic, fleeing the pocket at the first sign of trouble. But this season, he’s been more like Brady, conforming to the confines of the scheme and delivering the ball to the right spot quickly.

This year, Maye has 10 passing touchdowns, two running scores and just two interceptions. He’s halved his risky play percentage from his rookie year, when he was always attempting to conjure magic out of failed schemes. Now, he’s picking his moments. He hasn’t committed a TWP in three games.

After college, Maye was touted as a big-armed bomber. Scouts questioned his capacity to process sophisticated coverages and operate a complex offense. Overly casual. Overly risky. But the offensive coordinator, in his third tour as New England's OC, has unleashed the entire range of his playbook. Maye isn’t being limited; he’s being trusted. The Patriots are shapeshifting weekly once more, and Maye is leading the offense like an eight-year vet.

His growth has sped up the Patriots' schedule. If there were to be sophomore improvement, you expected it would be a slow burn. There would still exist the spectacular passes, while Maye used the year trying to reduce his mental errors in half. That would be improvement. In contrast, Maye has exceeded predictions. Six matches into his second season, he’s become one of the NFL's top players – and he’s transformed the Patriots playoff hopefuls once more.

Bears fans will take some comfort in seeing the progress of their rookie QB. But if you’re a Cleveland or New York follower, you have to cringe. Because this is what it’s supposed to look like when a franchise quarterback emerges. And for the other NFL quarterback-starved franchises, it’s yet another reminder of how cruel and cyclical this game can be. The Patriots went from the GOAT 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 QB is about beyond victories. It changes the identity of a fanbase and franchise. For two decades, the Patriots enjoyed the privileged existence. But the last few seasons have been about failing to build a bridge from Brady to whatever would come next. They’ve discovered the solution today. Get ready for your New England pals to rediscover their Brady-era bluster.

Player of the Week

Jaxon Smith-Njigba, WR, Seattle Seahawks. Against a tough Jacksonville D, Seattle's sole option was for Sam Darnold to target Smith-Njigba, anywhere and everywhere. The wideout answered with eight catches for 162 yards and a touchdown on 13 targets, as the Seahawks edged the Jags by eight points. The Seahawks' D set the tone, hounding the Jaguars' QB and dropping him a season-high seven sacks. But it was Smith-Njigba who supported the Seahawks’ offense, making up all the first 117 of the Seahawks’ initial 117 yards via passing. That featured a 61-yard touchdown and perhaps the best 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.

Video of the Week

The Miami Dolphins were on the losing end of yet another frustrating, last-minute loss. They took a one-point lead over the Los Angeles Chargers with under a minute remaining, after Tua Tagovailoa found his tight end for his fourth touchdown of the season. The Chargers returned a 40-yard kickoff on the ensuing kickoff. From there, the Chargers' QB and his receiver seized control.

INCREDIBLE PLAY FROM HERBERT AND MCCONKEY.

Wow. That is brutal. Somehow, Herbert escaped two defenders, dodging the first before tossing the other to the deck. He located McConkey in the short area, who put a Dolphins’ corner on skates to move the ball in range for the game-winning field goal.

It sums up the Chargers' year: narrowly winning on the brilliance of their QB and his teammates as his protection struggles. And it reflects the Dolphins’ defense, too: a defensive pressure that struggles to finish and a floundering secondary. With the defeat, the Dolphins fell to one win and five losses. Miserable second-half collapses have become standard for Mike McDaniel’s team. With another defeat, he’s running out of time to save his job.

Notable Statistic

Negative 10. That’s the net passing yards the Jets' QB ended with in the New York Jets' 13-11 loss to the Denver Broncos in London. It’s the lowest in any match since the Chargers had negative 19 in the late 90s. Back then, the Chargers had a rookie making his third professional start. Fields was in his 49th start.

It's clear who Fields is now: an exceptional runner who has difficulty to decipher the {passing game|pass